Peanut Brittle the Old Fashioned Way

There is nothing like homemade peanut brittle, if you are not allergic to peanuts that is!  My neighbor gave me a box many years ago and I was immediately addicted.  The problem was that everybody in my family was addicted too!  So, that luscious stuff was gone in a matter of minutes.

I begged  my friend to give me the recipe.  “There is no recipe,” she said – an obvious fib, so I kept up the campaign.  I suppose she tired of the nagging because, she finally said, “O.K., you can come to my house and watch.”

Did I mention that I now make ten pounds of that peanut brittle every Christmas?   Here’s how I learned to do it in my friend’s kitchen:

DOR’S HOMEMADE PEANUT BRITTLE 

1 Cup of Sugar

1 Cup Corn Syrup (Light)

1 Pound Raw Blanched Peanuts Note: These are sometimes difficult to find.  I get mine at an Amish country store.

1 Tbs. Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

¼ tsp Salt

1 generous tsp Baking Soda (have it measured out, in the spoon, and waiting to be added at the last minute).

Grease a cookie sheet.

Put the sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt in a big saucepan and bring just to the bubbling point.

Add the peanuts and Stir.

Bring the mixture back to bubbling and  reduce the heat to a slow simmer.

This is the Easy Part:

Set your timer for 20 minutes.

Stir every couple of minutes.

Plan on stirring frequently, but you can leave for a minute or so at a time. I do little things to keep me busy so I don’t get bored – like putting things away or tidying up the counter, or filling the dog’s water dish.  Between each little chore, I STOP AND STIR.  That’s the key to “pretty peanut brittle.”   

O.K. – 20 Minutes have gone by and you have done your job stirring.

Now comes the hard part.

Look at your mixture and assess its readiness.  Is it a beautiful golden brown color?  Or does it look too light?  If it’s too light, keep simmering and stirring a bit more.  Now, does it look just right?   YES?  Then it’s time to work – and you must work FAST!

1)       Turn the heat off!

2)      QUICKLY dump in the teaspoon of baking soda and stir it in as fast as you can!

Spread it Thin and
Aim for the Edges

3)      QUICKLY spoon the mixture onto the pan as evenly as possible.

4)      Use your spoon to spread the mixture around,  trying to reach the outer edges of the cookie sheet.  You are aiming to thin and flatten so you don’t wind up with great big thick chunks.

Breaking It All Up

Whole Slab of Peanut Brittle
Came Out of the Tin

Allow the peanut brittle to thoroughly cool.  You can probably pick up the whole sheet  at once.  Swipe the bottom with a paper towel to remove any excess butter.  Now just begin to break up the slab into bite sized pieces and store them in a beautiful holiday tin.

Best wishes to you and yours for  a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!   I hope  your brittle will be brittle and a lovely honey colored brown.