Peanut Brittle

Name: Peanut Brittle
Yield: Makes about 1¾ pounds
Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract; 2½ cups raw, shelled, and skinless peanuts (the smaller the better—Spanish peanuts are fine if you can get them); ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ cup water; 1 cup light corn syrup; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1½ cups sugar

Preparation info

Makes about
1¾ pounds

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

The real thing. Glassy-thin, salty-sweet, a thick layer of small peanuts encased in a crackly amber brittle. Use raw peanuts, which are available in all health-food stores, as roasted ones would become overbrowned while cooking in the candy mixture.

Ingredients

1½ cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup

Dessert
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Method

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. Wash down any crystals on the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water.
Add the butter and cook over moderately high heat, without stirring, until a candy-jelly thermometer registers 250 degrees. Add the nuts and cook, stirring, until the mixture