Monday, December 20, 2010

The Anti Christmas Cookies Part 2 - Peanut Brittle

For reasons why I don't make Christmas cookies, and for instructions on making candied citrus slices, read here.  This year's addition to the holiday food giving tradition also included peanut brittle.  I have never made peanut brittle.  But it seemed simple enough.  And it really was!
 

Peanut Brittle
There are tons of easy recipes online, so I just went with the first one that turned up.  It's from allrecipes.com and uses real butter in the final step, creating a smooth (and somewhat greasy) final product.  The only modification I made was to use slightly less peanuts.  I think next time I will use a recipe that includes brown sugar and maybe eliminates or decreases the amount of butter.

Ingredients:
1c white sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/4 t salt
1/4 c water
1 c peanuts (I used maybe 3/4 c)
2 T butter, softened
1 t baking soda

Materials:
2 quart saucepan
candy thermometer
cookie sheet

Directions:
1. Grease a large cookie sheet.  Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water.  Stir in peanuts.  Put in candy thermometer and keep stirring until it reaches 300 degrees (about 10min maybe?). 
3. Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter and baking soda.  Pour immediately onto cookie sheet.  Use a spatula or a fork or something to gently spread and lift and pull the mixture in a rectangle about 14x12 inches.
4.  Let cool and then snap into pieces.

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