When I was growing up, I had no affinity for peanut brittle. My father, Leroy, loved the stuff and we always had to have it around. My mother tortured our candy-deprived adolescence with just a narrow assortment of sweets. The candy we had access to was almost always based on my father's tastes which consisted of nuts, caramel, those weird Pepto Bismal colored mints and sugary, gritty orange slices. Don’t get me wrong... I love both nuts and caramel. But when you are five-years-old, these are the bottom of the barrel candies.
I recall the peanut brittle was hard and took a jack hammer to get out of your teeth. As soon as I could come up with a nickel, I was on my own and onto root beer barrels, blow pops, candy cigarettes and all around respectable kid-friendly candy.
My sister is the baker in my family. She churns out an amazing array of beautifully decorated sugar cookies with sweet creamy frosting, glorious buttery spritz cookies, Russian tea cakes, truffles and the most gloriously delicious peanut brittle. I have to thank my sister for sharing her recipe with me, so I can in turn share it with you. This is the recipe that converted me into a peanut brittle lover; with its airy and crunchy texture, beautifully caramel, buttery and toasted peanut taste.
I hope it becomes a tradition for your family this holiday season. Watch me make Peanut Brittle in our latest video.
Peanut Brittle
Lightly butter a sheet pan and set aside until the peanut brittle is ready to be poured from the pan.
1 1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Water
In a buttered heavy aluminum pan, bring ingredients to a boil over a medium heat until it reaches 240 degrees.
12oz Spanish Peanuts
Add the peanuts to the boiling mixture, and stir constantly until the mixture reaches 340 degrees. Remove from heat.
3/4 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
3/4 teaspoon Vanilla
Stir butter and vanilla into the mixture until butter is melted.
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
Stir in baking soda, which will make the candy foam up, so don’t be afraid. Immediately pour onto the prepared sheet pan. You don’t need to spread it out, just let it settle in the middle of the pan. Let cool for at least an hour and break into bite-size pieces.
