Ingredients

2 cups granulated white sugar
½ cup water
2 cups peanuts, roasted and salted

Method

1. Place the peanuts onto a non-stick baking sheet or Silpat and spread evenly.

2. Combine the sugar and water in a medium-large saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook slowly over a medium heat to the soft ball stage (245°F on a candy thermometer). Don’t stir or shake the pan during this stage as you’ll get sugar crystals forming around the edge of the solution. If this does happen, brush down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.

3. Continue to cook until the thermometer registers 300°F, when it will start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and pour the hot mixture over the prepared peanuts. Spread it out as much as you can with a wooden spoon.

4. Cool completely, and then break into pieces.

A perilous warning about caramel

Caramel gets seriously hot, we’re talking 185°C and if it gets on your skin it’ll burn. Make sure you have cold running water on standby because, if you do get any caramel on you, you’ll need to have ready access to it. Thrust a burn wound under lots of really cold running water for at least five minutes.

And some tips

• Keep your peanut brittle in a tightly covered container until you are ready to serve/eat it. The texture can be greatly affected by the humidity in the air.
• If you are using a candy thermometer that clips to the side, make sure that the bottom of the thermometer is resting inside the liquid and not pushed all the way to the bottom of the pan (you’ll get a false reading if it’s touching the bottom of the pan where the heat source is strongest).

Download print-friendly recipe and enjoy.
You might also like to learn to make sugar spun baskets.