Christmas Time Old-Time Peanut Brittle

Old-Time Peanut Brittle

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cup shelled raw peanuts or coarsely chopped raw cashews
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Nutritional Information
1 Piece:
Calories 57
Total Fat 3g
Saturated Fat 1g
Protein 1g
Carbohydrate 7g
Fiber 0g
Sodium 39mg
Cholesterol 2mg

Introduction:
The key to perfect brittle is adding baking soda. It reacts with the caramelzed sugr to make the candy porous and not too hard-so it's easy to eat.

Makes about 1 pound (50 pieces).
Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Chilling time: 30 minutes.

Step 1:
Butter a large baking sheet; set aside. In a large havey saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and butter. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. (Avoid splashing mixture onton side of the pan.) Boil for 3 minutes. If using a candy thermometer, carefully clip to the side of the pan, making sure the bulb is immersed but not touching the bottom of pan.

Step 2:
Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, to 240°F on candy thermometer, soft-ball stage (10 to 12 minutes). (Or, use this cold water test. Using a spoon, drop small amount of hot mixture into very cold, but not icy water. Dip your fingers into water and form mixture into a ball. Remove ball from water; it should immediately flatten and run between your fingers.)

Step 3:
Stir in peanuts. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, to 300° on candy thermometer, hard-crack stage (10 to 15 minutes). (Using a spoon, drop a small amount of hot mixture into very cold, but not icy, water. It should separate into hard, brittle threads that snap easily.) Watch carefully so mixture does not burn.

Step 4:
Remove the pan from heat; remove the thermometer from the saucepan. Immediately stir vanilla and baking soda into hot mixture, stirring constantly until light and foamy. Quickly pour and spread mixture onton prepared baking sheet.

Step 5:
With 2 forks, lift and pull candy into 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Pull gently to avoid tearing. Cool completely on wire rack. Break candy into pieces. To store, cover tightly.