Tasty peanut brittle a family tradition
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Ours has always been a candy making family at Christmas. My grandma used to make Rosemary candy. It was wonderful, but you had to beat it for a long time by hand. We’d all take a turn and beat until our arms played out. I probably didn’t help much because I was small.
Our cousin Jack made the best divinity in the world. It was light and sweet, but he never let it sugar.
Uncle Jim was a fool for fudge; he’d eat it even if it did sugar.
My granddad liked peanut brittle. He’d sometimes buy a box in town so being my granddad’s girl, I decided to learn to make peanut brittle. I started with just a basic recipe and have been refining it for years.
Although my granddad’s gone, I miss him all the time, but probably never more than when I make peanut brittle.
It’s just not Christmas unless I make a batch. That’s all my brother wants for Christmas from me. Even my kids like my peanut brittle.
Basic peanut brittle recipe
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups raw Spanish peanuts
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. soda
Heat and stir sugar, syrup, and 1 cup water in 3-quart saucepan till sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage, 234 degrees. Add nuts and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook to hard crack stage, 305 degrees, stirring often. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in butter and soda. Pour at once onto two well-buttered cookie sheets, spreading with spatula. Cool. Break up when cold.
Suggestions for good peanut brittle:
• Use a heavy pan to cook the brittle, three quarts or bigger.
• Make sure you buy raw peanuts.
• I don’t use a candy thermometer; I use the cold water soft ball test.
• I always add more peanuts because I like more peanuts than brittle.
• I cook the peanuts until they smell done, and the brittle is a warm golden brown. Don’t weaken and take it off too soon or the brittle will be pale gold and the peanuts won’t be done.
• After the candy has been spread on the cookie sheets, I let it cool a bit and then pull it with forks so it’s as thin as can be.
• Often I’ll put the candy on a chair on the deck to cool on cold winter days. It cools quickly so it can be sampled.
• Try not to make peanut brittle on a humid day; it just won’t turn out well.
• As soon as you’ve poured the candy onto the cookie sheets and smoothed it, fill the kettle the candy cooked in with very hot water and let it sit for a while.
• Store it in a tin with layers of candy separated by waxed paper.
