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Classic Peanut Brittle

Source of Recipe

From "Sweet Home Café Cookbook" by Albert Lukas


Recipe Introduction

"No one knows the exact origin of peanut brittle, but most agree that the American version of the hard sugar candy embedded with peanuts is Southern in origin. One of the most popular tales attributes its creation to a cook who, while making taffy, mistakenly dumped in baking soda instead of cream of tartar, which yielded a hard, crunchy brittle rather than a soft, chewy taffy."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups sugar
â—¦ 1 cup light corn syrup
â—¦ ½ cup cold water
â—¦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 ¾ cups shelled Virginia unsalted peanuts, split
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
â—¦ 2 or 3 pinches sea salt


Recipe

Line two large baking sheets with nonstick silicone mats or parchment paper sprayed with vegetable-oil cooking spray.

Lightly coat the sides of a large, deep saucepan with cooking spray. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and butter in the pan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan; do not let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and cook the sugar mixture to 275° F (25 to 30 minutes); the mixture will be very bubbly. Stir regularly throughout the cooking.

Stir in the peanuts and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 295° F. Working quickly, remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda, stirring to blend. Pour the hot candy onto the lined baking sheets; it should be ¼ to ½ inch thick. While the brittle is still warm, sprinkle with the sea salt. Let the brittle cool until completely firm, about 2 hours.
Crack the brittle into 2- to 3-inch pieces.

Makes 4 ½ pounds