Sunday, December 8, 2013

OT: Some Favorite Holiday Recipes: PEANUT BRITTLE

One of my favorite people has asked me to post a few of my favorite recipes. So, Donna Fasano, the next few posts are for you!



PEANUT BRITTLE

Basic Recipe:

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup white corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter                                                                                  
1 pound shelled peanuts (salted, raw, roasted, it                                                                                      doesn't seem to matter)



Butter two baking sheets and set them nearby.

Combine the soda, water, and vanilla in a tiny bowl and set aside.

Combine sugar, 1 cup water, and corn syrup in large saucepan. (I use a rather large dutch oven pan.) Attach your candy thermometer. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees. (This step can seem like it takes ages and ages. And it pretty much does. I've found that, at least in my mind, the heat comes up a little faster if I set the lid on the pan as much as possible, given that the thermometer and wooden spoon I'm using to stir stick up quite a bit.)

Stir in butter and peanuts. Tip: I have my peanuts ready to dump, with the butter waiting happily on top of them. (Don't be discouraged when the temperature falls. It will build much faster this time.) Stir constantly until the thermometer reaches 300 degrees. Be diligent! The mixture can easily burn during this step. (However, I will take a moment or two while this is going on to stir my soda mixture and keep it fairly well blended. But then, I'm anal.)

Remove from heat immediately and add the soda mixture. Pour half of the candy in each pan and spread thin, working very quickly (this can be quite the trick, and you might want to enlist some help, though it's not entirely necessary). Allow to cool.


Variations:

Add some jalapeño powder to the soda mixture, increasing the liquid bits just a little.

Add some cinnamon to the soda mixture, increasing the liquid bits just a little.




It's all better with friends.






2 comments:

  1. This recipe might be a smidge different from mine. I'll compare. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're the Recipe Maven! I'd be interested in hearing any differences.

    ReplyDelete