Gone are large heavy frying pans for making the hard variety and the cracked or broken teeth from eating it. Thanks to science and industry, microwaving allows us to make several easily chewable varieties of homemade nut brittle. Thanks also to our church friends for providing us with their peanut recipe, and to my dear spouse for carefully making it during the holidays.
Ingredients (makes 3/4-lb).
1-Cup white granulated sugar
1/2-Cup white corn syrup
1-Cup roasted, salted, skinless peanuts (for a peanut-rich batch, add an extra 1/4-cup)
2-Tsp butter or strong buttery flavored margarine
1-Tsp vanilla extract
1-Tsp baking soda
1/8-Tsp salt (if non-salted raw peanuts are used)
Utensils.
Microwave oven (medium size or larger)
2-Quart microwave-safe mixing bowl
Plastic measuring cups
Wooden stirring spoon
Lightly greased or non-stick cookie sheet
Paper towels
Candy thermometer, if desired (not really needed)
Procedure.
1. With the wooden spoon, stir the sugar and white syrup together in the mixing bowl. Note: if raw peanuts, pecans or other raw nuts are to be used in this recipe, then add them here together with 1/8-tsp of salt, and stir them.
2. Cover the bowl with a paper towel or microwave-safe cloth.
3. Microwave the mixture at the high setting for 4-minutes or until the syrup turns light brown.
4. Add the salted peanuts, and stir them in.
5. Microwave again at the high setting for 4-minutes (3 to 5-minutes depending on the microwave). Do not omit this step; otherwise the brittle will not setup right later.
6. Add the butter and vanilla extract to the mixture. Blend in well with the wooden spoon.
7. Microwave the mixture again at the high setting for 1-minute. The syrup will become very hot (at least 300oF)
8. Quickly, add the baking soda and gently blend-in with the spoon until foamy.
9. Pour the hot liquid mixture onto the cookie pan, and spread it to the thickness of the whole peanuts, about 1/8-inch or so.
10. Let cool for 30 to 60 minutes.
11. Remove product from the cookie sheet, and break into snack-size pieces.
12. Store in airtight container.
This repeated microwaving of the mixture takes it to 300oF or higher, which is necessary for the brittle to crystallize on the cookie sheet. A candy thermometer for measuring this temperature is not needed in most cases.
The baking soda adds zillions of microscopic air pockets to the brittle, which makes it much easier to breakup and chew than the previous pan-made hard varieties. This quality helps us to eat more of it than we should. For more recipes using peanuts, see this site.
