Peanut Brittle

1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter
1 lb unroasted shelled peanuts (take my advice and buy peanuts that are already shelled...or hire lots of helpers like I did!)


1. Heat oven to 200°. Grease 2 cookie sheets with butter and keep warm in oven. (Keeping the cookie sheets warm allows the candy to be spread ¼ inch thick without it setting up)

Necco had fun with this step!

2. Mix baking soda, 1 tsp water, and vanilla; set aside. Mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup in a 3-qt saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to 240° on a candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water. This step went on forever for me. I kept testing the hot candy in water, because I couldn’t find my candy thermometer. I stirred for a very long time. Don’t give up. It will thicken up!It looks like this for a long time!

3. Stir in butter and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, to 300° or until small amount of the mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. Watch carefully so mixture does not burn. Again, I stirred a very long time. The color did change into a golden brown, and I noticed a slightly different smell—almost a before-the-burn smell.
At this point, remove from the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla mixture. The candy will become foamy and almost orange.


4. Pour half of the candy mixture onto each cookie sheet, pressing with a spatula to spread to about ¼ inch thick.


Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in a covered container.