Brown Sugar Peanut Brittle

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 to 3 cups shelled raw peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preparation: Butter a baking pan or cookie sheet (with sides) ; set aside.

In a large heavy sauce pan (at least 3-quart size), combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, water and salt.

Cook over medium high heat until all the sugar is dissolved.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes just to a full boil.

Stir in the butter.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees F. Once it has reached this temperature a thread should form when the spoon is dipped into the mixture and lifted up.

Cook and stir until you reach 280 degrees F, or the soft crack stage.

(If you don’t have a candy thermometer, place a small drop of the mixture into a bowl with room temperature water, the mixture should be make a firm ball that is slightly crunchy).

When you have reached 290 degrees F, add the peanuts (all at once) and stir in.

Continue to stir constantly until you reach 300 degrees F, or the hard crack stage (a small amount of the mixture will make a hard ball when dropped into the water).

I was taught to keep on stirring until you hear the peanuts begin to “pop”, and then remove the pot from the heat.

Stir in the baking soda, and mix well. It is going to “foam” up, which is what gives you light, airy brittle. Stir it well, but don’t stir it all the way flat, unless you really want flat hard crunchy brittle.

Pour the candy onto a buttered cookie sheet. Tilt, shake and “shimmy” the candy until is has spread out as far as possible on the pan.

Allow to cool until it is room temperature, then lift the pan up and drop it onto the table (at least that is how I do it, you can crack it into pieces with the back of a heavy knife, or even with your hands if you wish.)

You now have about 2 pounds of wonderful, crunchy peanut brittle! So enjoy!