The secret of peanut brittle.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:06 pm

Some in my family have long possessed the recipe for the best peanut brittle. While I'm not at liberty to give the exact recipe, here are the main points.

1. Baking soda is very important to the flavor.

2. It is a group activity, just like a taffy pull. Arrange bowls, upside down, on a counter, and pour the molten confection on top of these bowls. With buttered fingers, stretch the peanut brittle (as soon as it is cool enough to handle) as thin as possible.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:36 pm

Hmmm, I wonder if you can do this with pecans?

Pecans, baking soda . . . a bowl . . . I have all the ingredients!

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:52 pm

I prefer flush toilets.

djm

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:01 pm

You can make brittle with any kind of nuts, as far as I know. My sister made some cashew brittle that was just out of this world. I know it had real butter in it. I don't think it was stretched as thin as possible. I think she poured it out on her counter.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:02 pm

Well, you're welcome to use it, Deej. You and Cynth can trample on over here through that snow of yours . . .

Who else wants to join me in making some of this . . . yummm!

Pecan Brittle
Makes about 20 pieces

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups pecans

Toast pecans at 200 degrees F until warm; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup and cook to 310 degrees F, stirring constantly. Add butter; continue cooking, stirring constantly, to 290 degrees F. Remove from heat; stir in salt, soda, vanilla, and nuts. Beat quickly, and spread out on a greased marble slab or on a heavily greased cookie sheet. Break apart when cool.

I see that I'll need to go get butter and corn syrup, but I have some really good vanilla extract.

Anybody know if you can do this on a Silpat sheet? I have one of those, but no marble slab. Drat! Who designed my kitchen, anyway? No marble slab . . .

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:16 pm

Martha Stewart used to have a marble slab in her kitchen, but she had to sell it for some reason ....

djm

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:28 pm

djm wrote:Martha Stewart used to have a marble slab in her kitchen, but she had to sell it for some reason ....

djm

It was damaged after she used it to bust open her ankle bracelet.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:46 pm

Lambchop wrote:Anybody know if you can do this on a Silpat sheet? I have one of those, but no marble slab. Drat! Who designed my kitchen, anyway? No marble slab . . .

Lamby, I looked up Silpat sheets and I guess they can take up to 480 F. So I guess from the heat point of view it would be okay. Oh, I found this website and they use a Silpat sheet for peanut brittle. I have not used one before.
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=72

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 12:49 am

Gasp! That is exactly the Silpat sheet that I have!

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:38 am

I could never duplicate the peanut brittle my mom-in-law makes. Baking soda was her secret ingredient, too.

But, it didn't matter.
In fact, I used the exact same pan she used to cook it!
I made batch after batch, even a couple of times with her supervising me.

And her saying, "Oh, I just throw it together"

Pahh!

sigh

I wish she'd send me some....

Mary
I'm willing to think I'm being a wee bit hard on myself, though

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 11:49 am

My most decadent brittle is made with Macadamia nuts. Baking soda gives it that airy puff. I never considered stretching it at all! Pour it out on the buttered counter and let it cool.

This year is a little tough as Tyghre and I are in a dieting frame of body. No brittle, no toffee, no caramel, no 'Bloodgood breakup'. I'm a fiendish candy maker who has to stay out of the sugar aisle. But I WILL be doing sugar plums, and may even dip a batch in bittersweet chocolate. Best hostess gift I can think of!

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 12:18 pm

Dix, I'm sure I'd like your peanut brittle!

Tyghress, what are sugar plums? I've heard of them all my life but never had the faintest idea of what they actually were.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 3:16 pm

Cynth wrote:Tyghress, what are sugar plums? I've heard of them all my life but never had the faintest idea of what they actually were.

Right . . . along with "porridge," "plum pudding," and "gruel."

I now have a vague notion as to what porridge is, but I'll still mostly clueless about the rest.

jkrazy52 · Post by **jkrazy52** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 3:39 am

Forget all that stuff ... Tyghress, what the heck is "Bloodgood breakup"?

We do a "nut butter crunch" & "Boston Cream" ... both recipes have been in my family for over 150 years, both "Christmas only" treats.

Walden, I'll trade my "Boston Cream" recipe for your peanut brittle recipe ...

Judy

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:21 pm

Judy, if you search C&F for 'bloodgood' you'll find my post on the candy... too long to reproduce and probably boring. Surprisingly, I've had two people from my hometown contact me because of that post...they googled 'bloodgood candy' and arrived at our humble message board.

Cynth, in my case 'sugar plums' are finely minced dried fruits and nuts with spices bound together with honey, formed into small balls and rolled in sugar. But I think I'll choco dip this year.