Pounds of Peanut Brittle

The holidays usher in the season of peanut brittle.   Pounds of peanut brittle cooked up, broken up, and finally bagged up for family and friends.  This has been the Wulzen holiday gift for many years.  And paired with a new CD of Christmas music -- what better way to encourage a moment of resting in the pleasures of the season!

I found this peanut brittle recipe in a cookbook from the library.   It is quite simple and requires only a few ingredients

and a couple of essential aids.

Yup, don't make this recipe without a candy thermometer (unless you can figure out if a pot of boiling sugar and butter and peanuts is 280 degrees or 305 degrees).  The first year (well, really, the first batch) I did not have a thermometer and the completed peanut brittle lost the brittle and became a soft, sticky mess about an hour after I was done.  You've been warned!

And the diet coke -- what's with that?  Read carefully to discover that you will be stirring this boiling hot pot of ingredients for awhile and around about 250 degrees you will NEED a cold drink.  For you -- not the pot.

So on to the recipe.  

Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle

makes about 2 1/2 pounds

2 cups sugar

1 cup light syrup

1/2 cup water

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cups peanuts (I used lightly salted.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy 3 quart saucepan.  (It should be heavy pot!)

2.  Place over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

3.  When syrup comes to a boil, blend in the butter and continue to stir frequently.  

4.  Continue cooking and stirring until the candy thermometer registers 280 degrees (soft crack).

5.  Immediately add the peanuts.

6.  Stir constantly until thermometer reaches 305 degrees (hard crack).

7.  Remove from the heat and quickly add the baking soda and vanilla.  Mix well.

8.  Immediately pour into 2 jelly roll pans and spread as close to the edges as possible.  The peanut brittle will begin to set up so try to get the spreading done quickly. 

9.  When cool, lift the brittle from the pan and break into pieces.  

10.  Store in a sealed container.

Clean up is easy.  Let everything cool down (the pot will stay warm for awhile) and then soak it in water.  Everything dissolves and you need only need to wash and dry the pot.  NO scrubbing!!

Happy Holidays!