Holiday Traditions and Peanut Brittle

A few years ago I was telling our son about family traditions I grew up with and how important they have been to me.  We decided to start our own tradition of honoring the memory of our relatives that are no longer with us by making some of their recipes for the holidays.  After thumbing through some old family recipes he decided he wanted his tradition to be making Uncle Marvin’s Peanut Brittle every Christmas.  After several hits and misses I think we finally have it down…and it’s delicious!

Uncle Marvin’s Peanut Brittle

3 c. white sugar

1/2c. water

3 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. white Karo syrup

3 c. raw peanuts (Spanish peanuts)

3 tsp. butter

Mix sugar, syrup and water together and cook until mixtures threads.  Add peanuts and stir continuously, cooking until syrup mixture turns light brown and peanuts are done.  Remove from fire and add soda, salt and butter.  Stir until thoroughly mixed and pour onto a buttered cookie sheet.  Spread as thin as possible.

Tips:

Use a big pot, a regular size saucepan is too small.  I have to use a candy thermometer, I haven’t had enough practice to tell if its ready without one.  I found that it will “thread” around 180° to 200° and that it’s ready to take off the heat at about 280° to 300°.  Altitude and humidity will play a part in when it’s ready.  Be prepared for it to foam up some when you add the baking soda, that caught us off guard the first time!  Be generous when buttering the pan, otherwise it won’t come out of the pan, also don’t take too long pouring it out of the pot, it hardens quickly.  After it’s completely cooled you can break it into pieces.  Store in an air tight container, if it lasts long enough to need storing!

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:15-18 (NIV)

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