Bonnie Schimelpfenning's Peanut Brittle
Source of Recipe
Farmhouse Cookbook
List of Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups raw peanuts, preferably with husks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking sodaRecipe
1. Mix together the suar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns golden and reaches the hard ball stage (about 265 degrees F on a candy thermometer), up to 10 minutes.
2. Add the butter and the peanuts, stir, and return to a boil. Cook until it reaches the hard crack stage (about 310 degrees F), another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and stir (it will bubble up and may need vigorous stirring to calm it down). Let the mixture sit for about 30 seconds, then pour it out onto a buttered, heat-resistant work surface such as formica or marble (not wood).
3. Immediately spread the mixture out as thin as you can, using a metal or wooden spatula. Don a pair of thick rubber goves, and as the panute brittle cooks but before it gets hard, begin pulling on it from every direction to stretch it, distribute the peanuts evenly, and give it a shiny gold luster, brittle texture, and improved flavor. It should stretch to almost double the original size. (Be sure to wear gloves, because the brittle is too hot to handle without them.)
4. When the peanut brittle is cooled and hard, break it up into pieces. It will keep for weeks in an airtight container stored in a cool place.
About 2 1/2 pounds.
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