Peanut Brittle
Peanut brittle is a hard sugar candy packed with peanuts, and this version gives you control over the bite. The baking soda is optional: stir it in and the syrup foams into an opaque, easy-snapping candy, or leave it out for a clearer, harder brittle. Raw peanuts cook along with the syrup and toast as it heats, so they never taste scorched. A candy thermometer keeps each batch consistent.
Instructions
Grease a 9 x 12-inch cookie sheet and set it aside. Put the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Clip a candy thermometer to the pan with its tip in the mixture. Keep heating, stirring now and then, until it reaches 250°F (120°C).
Stir in the raw peanuts and keep heating and stirring gently until the temperature reaches 300°F (150°C). If you are using roasted peanuts instead, which is not recommended, stir them in at this point rather than earlier.
Take the pan off the heat and quickly stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
Add the baking soda and stir very fast. The mixture will foam and roughly double in volume, so make sure the soda is mixed in evenly and does not collect in one spot.
Pour the mixture onto the greased sheet and spread it across the whole surface with a fork or wooden spoon.
Let it cool to room temperature, then break the brittle into bite-sized pieces.
Make it personal.
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