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Posted by Arwen Mosher in Food on Friday, November 21, 2008 3:04 PM
Yesterday I made peanut brittle for the first time ever.
I’d always thought of peanut brittle as something you buy in bags at tourist-y little fudge and candy shops. It’s always overpriced but worth it since it tastes so good. (I don’t have much of a taste for candy in general, and really don’t enjoy fudge, but the salty-sweet crunch of brittle is addictive to me.) I’d buy some and enjoy it a couple of times a year, usually when we were on vacation.
Then my newest issue of Cuisine at Home had a recipe for almond brittle. My sister, who likes to make candy, tried the recipe and the brittle was excellent, and she reported that it had been fearfully easy to make.
Not being a big fan, I’d never tried making candy; I’d rather put my energy into making cookies and pies that I will really enjoy. But I do love brittle, and so does my father, and he’ll be staying with us this weekend and we’ll be celebrating his birthday. So I went looking for an easy-looking recipe for peanut brittle, found one on a website I trust (here), stocked up on all the ingredients, and gave the whole thing a try.
Honestly, the hardest part was keeping Camilla away while I was spreading the hot brittle onto the buttered baking sheets. (She does pretty well with, “Don’t touch! You’ll get burned!” but less so when the forbidden object is a delicious-looking sugary mixture.)
It turns out that making brittle mostly involves waiting patiently while the mercury on the candy thermometer rises. It takes a long time - my pan was sitting on my stove for almost an hour - but I found the directions simple and easy to follow, and the product delicious.
The particular recipe I tried is for “old-fashioned” brittle and calls for dark corn syrup, so it has a slightly darker color and flavor than the brittle I’m used to, and next time I might try replacing the dark corn syrup in the recipe with light syrup. But I am definitely making this again! So easy, so cheap compared to what you pay for brittle in candy shops, and so delicious!
If you’re looking for something to give away as Christmas treats, or simply to keep around and enjoy yourself, I would highly recommend making brittle.
The recipe I used:Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle on Epicurious.com
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You’re right to keep Camilla away! In high school, I burned the heck out of my finger after stirring microwaved peanut brittle and then wiping the spoon with my finger. I’m still brought up as “what NOT to do”! I recently clipped a recipe for popcorn brittle (popped popcorn instead of nuts) that I think sounds interesting.
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