The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Be aware: This is addictive! It has the texture of a butterfinger bar.

Sometimes bazaars will sell “soft peanut brittle” for a huge price or candy stores will, and you think to yourself, I wish I could make it myself.

Well here is the recipe, or perhaps one of them. I believe people are getting away from making candy, maybe for weight reasons, maybe not enough family around, or just have never attempted it.

This recipe needs some helpful hints before you try it for the first time. Nothing like someone else making the mistakes so you don’t have to. So I will add them to my notes.

2 c. sugar 2 to 2/2 c. peanut butter

¼ c. water ½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ c. light corn syrup 1 ½ tsp soda

2 c. salted peanuts (I use Spanish peanuts)

Combine sugar and water in heavy saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Spoon hot sugar syrup upside of pan to wash down sugar crystals thoroughly. Stir in corn syrup. Cook to hard crack stage, 300 degrees. Meanwhile, mix peanuts, peanut butter, and vanilla. Remove syrup from heat: at once add peanut butter mixture. Stir in soda (have this premeasured and ready to go) Pour onto greased cookie sheet, quickly spread with a fork. YIELD: About 3 pounds of creamy peanut brittle.

MY NOTES: First, it is important that you have a heavy sauce pan. The one I have is the one grandma had. Second, you will need a candy thermometer. Some I believe say 310 degrees is hard crack. Do not cheat on this.

Third, make sure that you, or whoever helps you stir in the peanut butter mixture, has good upper arm strength and knows how to FOLD the mixture in quickly. Soooooo important. I had my fella friend help me make a batch, thinking with his arm strength, it would be a piece of cake, but he didn’t understand FOLDING and QUICKLY.

Use a heavy spoon, and fold, fold, fold in the mixture. You will want to cut the spoon thru the mixture very quickly to get it mixed into the hot syrup and when you think you are about done, add the soda and keep mixing and folding.. The soda will cause it to get frothy and that’s what makes it have the texture it does.

****The candy will try to set up while it’s in the pan so mix quickly and pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Have a couple of forks handy and spread it the best you can, thinner is better. I’ve had some of the mixture not get the soda so it was a bit crunchy, but all in all, it turns out great.

ENJOY!

*****Next week I hope to have a great chip dip recipe for your parties. It will be more like a salsa, but with brown rice. Justin and Roger made it for us at church so you know it’s already going to be good.