Peanut Brittle

I know, I know, Christmas is over and here I am, posting one of my favorite Christmas candies. What can I say, the past week has been really busy and I just couldn't make time to blog.  I'm just happy I made time to even make the peanut brittle in the first place!

I got this recipe from my grandma many years ago; it was one of the Christmas candy traditions for our family along with Divinity and Buck-Eyes.  I absolutely loved eating the candy, but as I got into my teen years, I treasured the time spent learning how to make it and getting special time with Grandma. She passed away in '98 and to the best of my knowledge, I'm the only one of her grandchildren who makes these recipes anymore.   

I had a batch turn out really badly a couple of years ago - I didn't cook it long enough and the result was so chewy/sticky that you could barely eat it and keep your teeth intact.  It was extra disappointing because I had made it to give as gifts to some ladies in my MOPS group and it was such a flop, I couldn't possibly give it away. 

My point - be SURE to cook it to 300°!

Which brings up another point - be SURE to test your candy thermometer (stick it in boiling water and see if it registers 212°F; if not, make necessary adjustments when making candy) before you start making the candy. 

The end result is a wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanutty candy that makes a great addition to your candy or cookie trays and really nice gifts to neighbors and friends. 

Recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
12 oz. raw Spanish peanuts
2 T. butter
1-1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Grease a large cookie sheet with rims generously with butter.  Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water, cover with a lid, and heat over medium heat for three minutes.  Uncover and cook to 250° or it spins a thread.  Add peanuts and cook until it reaches 300°, stirring frequently. 
Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and salt, then baking soda.  Stir until blended.  Mixture will foam up and lighten in color when you stir in the baking soda.
Pour immediately into prepared pan and spread to the edges. 
Break into pieces after it cools.