Peanut brittle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peanut brittle is a popular hard candy made of peanuts and syrup. Literary references: Was constantly eaten by Havermeyer in Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
Common Ingredients: sugar, light corn syrup, water, raw Spanish peanuts, salt, butter, and baking soda.
<p>Peanut brittle is subset of numerous varieties of nut brittles, which consist of hard sugar candy that has been slightly leavened with baking soda and cooked to the point of caramelization.
The process involves mixing sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2:1:1 ratio, and heating to dissolve the sugar. Cooking continues until the sugar dissolves forming a simple syrup. When the syrup reaches approximately 115°C (thread stage), varieties of nut meats are added. Cooking continues until the temperature rises to 150°C (hard crack stage) and caramelization begins. At this point, spices, leavening agents, and butter (optional) are added. The hot candy is poured out onto a flat surface for cooling, traditionally a granite or marble slab. The hot candy may be pressed to achieve uniform thickness. When the brittle cools, it is broken into pieces of a size convenient for packaging.
