Peanut Brittle ~ Foamheart

[daveomak]

Done... and in the freezer to cool soze Ize can eat sum....
I used dry roasted nuts.... No raw nuts up here...



The best I've ever made... LOL... Vanilla, Cayenne, and Old Bay...
1st. time is the charm....
Perfect texture.... Easy to munch on... I'm hooked....

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Too too easy to do. Pot must be shiny clean. Don't want any magic crystallization. I even after it is shiny clean, rub the inside with butter (even if I am using glass pots). While that butter is out go ahead and rub some lightly all over a 1/2 tray. Now we are all ready.

Looks like the dog threw up in this picture.......LOL Chunks!

View attachment 376774

Recipe........
Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups raw peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Cook sugar, karo, and water till it spins a thread. Add nuts (pepper and salt) and continue cooking to amber stage. You'll actually hear some peanuts pop. You want to heat to hard break but not past it, don't get in a hurry. (Hard break is like 290 to 300 I think)
Add vanilla and soda, pour as thin as possible on greased cookie sheet.

NOTES ::
You really don't need the vanilla extract, instead I add a pinch of ground cayenne and a pinch of salt. Bazinga!
Use a large pot, its molten sugar and even a little bit will make you say bad words. ALSO when you add the baking soda, just beat it, beat it beat it, its gonna foam. Beat it till its quit foaming, then quickly pour it into the tray. Be carefull.
Personally, at this point I spin the tray. It moves the brittle out from the center making it a little thinner.
After it cools drop it hard and it will break.

All broken hearted.... I mean broken brittle.

View attachment 376775

Make it light make it dark, be careful though too dark it gets a scorched taste. You can add vanilla, coconut, maple, any extra for a slightly different variation. That little cayenne makes your mouth wonder what is going on with it. And a pinch of salt always makes sugar better.

If you like brittle and this is easy eating not hard rock candy, try it.

Alright I shelled what peanuts I had on hand and only got a cup worth, so I intend to make up the difference with my second favourite kind of nut; Sunflowers. I looked up sunflower brittle and it's a thing, so I know I won't end up with some weird burnt mess apparently.

Which brings me to my second question; I plan to use maple over vanilla..but how much is a Pinch here Kevin? 1/4 tsp Cayenne? Sorry, I like to work with exacts here given it's hard to taste test 200+ Degree syrup for the proper flavour :)

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Done... and in the freezer to cool soze Ize can eat sum....
I used dry roasted nuts.... No raw nuts up here...

View attachment 376791

The best I've ever made... LOL... Vanilla, Cayenne, and Old Bay...
1st. time is the charm....
Perfect texture.... Easy to munch on... I'm hooked....

Can I ask what you used for a Ratio dave? I like this idea of cayenne in it..but a 'pinch' can mean alot of different things!

 

[crazymoon]

Foam, That is a fine looking batch! TY for the recipe.

 

[daveomak]

I added a pinch, then another pinch... tasted the syrup.. sprinkled more in the batch, tasted, sprinkled more.... Probably a tsp. or 2...
The biggest problem I had... A cabled therm was reading 297 and the syrup was getting brown... used 2 different switch blade therms and they read 308.... Sooooooooo, I've got a bit of a burnt taste..

Can I ask what you used for a Ratio dave? I like this idea of cayenne in it..but a 'pinch' can mean alot of different things!

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I added a pinch, then another pinch... tasted the syrup.. sprinkled more in the batch, tasted, sprinkled more.... Probably a tsp. or 2...
The biggest problem I had... A cabled therm was reading 297 and the syrup was getting brown... used 2 different switch blade therms and they read 308.... Sooooooooo, I've got a bit of a burnt taste..

I plan to dig out my candy thermometer for this one to be fair. I knew I had one for..some reason.

I'll plan to start with 1/4th tsp and work from there. Since I won't be the only one eating it I figured it's a safer bet to go easy on the heat for the first run.

 

[foamheart]

Alright I shelled what peanuts I had on hand and only got a cup worth, so I intend to make up the difference with my second favourite kind of nut; Sunflowers. I looked up sunflower brittle and it's a thing, so I know I won't end up with some weird burnt mess apparently.

Which brings me to my second question; I plan to use maple over vanilla..but how much is a Pinch here Kevin? 1/4 tsp Cayenne? Sorry, I like to work with exacts here given it's hard to taste test 200+ Degree syrup for the proper flavour :)

A pinch is probably more like a 1/8th You don't need the extracts but About a large cap full of extract or a small cap full of maple oil. Oil is used in candy, extracts are alcohol bases and evaporate in high heat. Oil doesn't. Just use what ya got. It will be good as long as you don't scorch it.

 

[foamheart]

Foam, That is a fine looking batch! TY for the recipe.

Thank you. You really should try it. It will become a holiday tradition.

 

[foamheart]

I plan to dig out my candy thermometer for this one to be fair. I knew I had one for..some reason.

I'll plan to start with 1/4th tsp and work from there. Since I won't be the only one eating it I figured it's a safer bet to go easy on the heat for the first run.

You don't want to taste the pepper. It and the salt just really enhance the sweetness. I put it in loads of things you wouldn't expect, its always in anything chocolate. And I now sprinkle salt on everything before I serve it from pies to cakes. Just a pinch.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Some how I expect I screwed this up. But well..here is mine. Sunflowers and peanuts. But when I added the baking soda it didn't foam..unless what I thought was foaming vs what foaming is here is two different things. I just kept stirring till it seemed to be just a smooth looking caramel esque colour.

To late on the not tasting the pepper, I went for that hit of heat and liked it from the spoon drippings!

 

[foamheart]

First thing I see is you did not achieve an amber color. That means you didn't get hot enough long enough. As to no foaming? I'll blame it on heat I guess if your baking soda is not out of date? If you stirred it fast enough without a break you might not see the foaming though. But that's some fast stirring.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

First thing I see is you did not achieve an amber color. That means you didn't get hot enough long enough. As to no foaming? I'll blame it on heat I guess if your baking soda is not out of date? If you stirred it fast enough without a break you might not see the foaming though. But that's some fast stirring.

Well I'll admit I used light corn syrup...and I thought it was hot enough, my thermal probe said 300..then 303..that was when I also poured it. I couldn't find my candy thermometer! I'm hoping it'll be edible and I can chalk this down as a learning experience. It did react when I added the baking soda but I wouldn't call it foaming, not sure how the foaming should look. Sort of just ..blooming up? Maybe that is foaming.

It looked amber before I added the baking soda! I was worried about burning it though as well. Maybe overly worried in this case?

 

[nanuk]

So, explain to me, if it doesn't get hot enough, it doesn't get as hard???

so cooler = softer?

 

[foamheart]

So, explain to me, if it doesn't get hot enough, it doesn't get as hard???

so cooler = softer?

You have to understand candy making I guess. There is different points of interest due to temperature, Spin a thread, amber, soft ball, hard ball, soft crack and hard crack. Probably more. These are the stages candy can go through and used by folks who either don't own or don't need a candy thermometer.

There lots of things to consider, the two main saccharomyces basically glucose and fructose. Its why we use corn starch sometimes and not others. EDIT:: That should have said "corn syrup" vice corn starch, LOL

Basically yes to your question.. If you put a roast in the smoker and smoke it for 8 hours, its a smoked roast. But it can still be inedible due to smoking at too low a temperature.

You add the water then you take it back out. You are changing the relative density. Think of each sugar molecule as a big floating spider with its legs coiled in. as it heats those legs relax stretch out and intertwine with other spider legs as it cools the legs draw back up locking it all together. Easy peasy.... as it starts to cool you add the baking soda to cause a foaming effect. These small air bubbles get entrapped while the liquid candy cools causing the hard sugar to become more porous and thereby more edible without calling the dentist.

Temperature matters because you have to reach that point where the spider legs are all the way out which is very close to the temperature that sugar burns.

I am sure a professional chef could give you a whole days explanation on it. But I always found that the spider theory best explains density changes in thermoplastics and what works for one works for them all.
Its just density.

Here's a link to where you can see the sugar stages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_making

 

[foamheart]

Well I'll admit I used light corn syrup...and I thought it was hot enough, my thermal probe said 300..then 303..that was when I also poured it. I couldn't find my candy thermometer! I'm hoping it'll be edible and I can chalk this down as a learning experience. It did react when I added the baking soda but I wouldn't call it foaming, not sure how the foaming should look. Sort of just ..blooming up? Maybe that is foaming.

It looked amber before I added the baking soda! I was worried about burning it though as well. Maybe overly worried in this case?

The light corn syrup is also what I use. The dark makes the brittle too dark. BTW another reason that no extract is really required is the corn syrup. Light corn syrup has vanilla and dark corn syrup has Molasses flavors.

I think some of the amber color also comes from the peanuts as well as the sugars starting to caramelizing. If you can chew it without needing a dentist, it foamed.

Candy is sort of like smoking, its not always about how fast you can get to temperature.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

The light corn syrup is also what I use. The dark makes the brittle too dark. BTW another reason that no extract is really required is the corn syrup. Light corn syrup has vanilla and dark corn syrup has Molasses flavors.

I think some of the amber color also comes from the peanuts as well as the sugars starting to caramelizing. If you can chew it without needing a dentist, it foamed.

Candy is sort of like smoking, its not always about how fast you can get to temperature.

I guess it's a learning experience I need to work on. As my pops pointed out, I also was using stuff we had around, it was possible it was stale. I still view peanut brittle as ..well I just don't eat many sweets, so to me it tastes like pepper and sugar, and I'm like 'This must be right'

I might be wrong though too, but I thought it tasted good :)

 

[daveomak]

?????? saccharomyces ??????? REALLY Foamy ??? LOL.... I'm going to look that up....

 

[foamheart]

?????? saccharomyces ??????? REALLY Foamy ??? LOL.... I'm going to look that up....

Come on Dave, I used the spider story instead of going into the chemistry of sugar and the effects that heat or the difference of physical states has upon density. I only used one big word. I thought I earned it.

 

[foamheart]

I guess it's a learning experience I need to work on. As my pops pointed out, I also was using stuff we had around, it was possible it was stale. I still view peanut brittle as ..well I just don't eat many sweets, so to me it tastes like pepper and sugar, and I'm like 'This must be right'

I might be wrong though too, but I thought it tasted good :)

If you liked it, you'll now have a better idea of what to expect and you'll just have to try it again. First time I smoked it was a spare rib (they were cheap back then), and not a whole ham. My first time at this (if I remember right), I made it without nuts, the nuts are really the only expense of this. I have fun.

Great example!

I am not a cake baker. I wish I was, but its just way to much clean up for me when I attempt one. Usually I really mess up the first attempt. So I have fun and feed it to the neighbors! My last screw up I intentional made a green cake with blue frosting. I was playing with colors. I always used food colors, but someone had brought me both color gels and color powders. You might as well have fun learning right?

What I guess I am saying is, Enjoy it, just don't break a tooth.

 

[daveomak]

You've earned it and more... There are some "fairly descriptive" definitions associated with that word... I'll never remember saccharomyces ... so you've got me there...