Extra Nutty Peanut Brittle Recipes

THE BEST PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
• Stir together the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy/deep-fry thermometer. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then continue to boil until it's golden brown and it reaches 340 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
• Working quickly, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and baking soda until smooth (it will foam and bubble up). Stir in the peanuts until evenly distributed amongst the sugar mixture.
• Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and quickly smooth with a rubber spatula into a thin and even layer. Let harden uncovered at room temperature until cooled completely. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

ALOHA BRITTLE

Steps:

• Butter a large baking sheet with 1 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle coconut in a 12-in. circle on the prepared pan. In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 240° (soft-ball stage), stirring constantly. Stir in the macadamia nuts, pecans and remaining butter; cook and stir until the mixture reads 300° (hard-crack stage)., Combine the baking soda, water and vanilla. Remove saucepan from the heat; stir in the baking soda mixture. Quickly pour over the coconut. Cool before breaking into pieces. Store in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers.

PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200°F. Butter 2 cookie sheets, 15 1/2x12 inches, and keep warm in oven. Mix baking soda, 1 teaspoon water and the vanilla; reserve.
• Mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup in 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to 240°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water.
• Stir in butter and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, to 300°F or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. (Watch carefully so mixture does not burn.) Immediately remove from heat. Quickly stir in baking soda mixture until light and foamy.
• Pour half the candy mixture onto each cookie sheet; quickly spread about 1/4 inch thick. Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Break into pieces. Store in covered container.

GLASS PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil very well with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and light corn syrup, and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then raise the heat to medium-high and insert a candy thermometer.
• Cook the candy over medium-high heat until it reaches 260 F (126 C). At this point, add the peanuts, the butter, and 3/4 tsp of salt, and stir well. Turn the heat back down to medium.
• Cook the candy, stirring frequently, until it reaches 295 F (146 C). During the cooking process, it will develop a golden color and begin to smell like caramelizing the sugar.
• As soon as the candy reaches 295 F, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and stir it in.
• Scrape the candy out onto the prepared pan and spread it into as thin a layer as possible.
• Let the brittle cool for a few minutes, until it is still pliable but not burning hot. If you have food-safe latex gloves, you might want to put them on to protect your hands from the heat. Otherwise, spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully start pulling the brittle between your hands, stretching it as thin as possible. When you can no longer stretch it, let it cool completely at room temperature.
• Once cool, break the brittle into small pieces to serve. If you'd like, you can dip the pieces in chocolate for a tasty variation. Store Glass Peanut Brittle in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. If you live in a humid environment, you might find that your brittle becomes soft and sticky over time.

FLUFFY PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Butter 2 large baking sheets; set aside. Butter sides of a heavy 3-quart saucepan. In saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling. Clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook and stir over medium-low heat to 275°, soft-crack stage (about 30 minutes). Add nuts; cook and stir to 295°, hard-crack stage (15-20 minutes more). Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer.
• Quickly add vanilla, stir in briskly. Sprinkle baking soda over mixture, stirring constantly. Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheets. Cool; break into pieces. Store tightly covered.
• This recipe produces a "fluffy" brittle, the candy is lightly honeycombed and opaque. For a dark and clear brittle, omit the baking soda. And let me know how that works out.

MOM'S BEST PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
• In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
• Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

QUICK PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Melt the sugar in a medium frying pan over a medium heat for 4-5 mins until caramelised - it should be a dark amber colour. Don't stir, as this causes the sugar to crystallise - instead, tilt the pan slowly so the sugar melts evenly.
• Add the peanuts, stir with a wooden spoon, then quickly and carefully tip onto the prepared tray. Immediately sprinkle over the sea salt flakes and leave to cool until set. Will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.