
Howdy folks!
Was thinking back on my childhood this week and I remembered how this sweet and nutty snack was a big part of it. Peanut brittle, or ‘Sweet Mbalala’ as it was called then, was a popular treat that you couldn’t wait to get your hands on as a child.
Roasted peanuts held together by a sugary, caramel base combined two wonderful ingredients in one blissful bar (or block depending on the eventual shape).
I recreated the recipe and hope you will do too, and revel in some of the memories it comes with!
Here goes :
Peanut Brittle
Course: Snacks, DessertDifficulty: MediumServings
10
servingsPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
20
minutesIngredients
2 cups roasted Peanuts
2 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Golden syrup
Pinch of Salt
Directions
- Start with your roasted peanuts.
You can buy these pre-roasted from the grocery store, or you can buy raw ones and roast your own. I typically prefer the latter, so I can roast them as I want, and leave the skin partially on for some color. Will share my roasted peanut recipe in another post.
- Then, add the sugar to a saucepan together with the golden syrup and water.
- After a few minutes, you’ll see the sugar dissolve and combine with the other ingredients nicely, into a caramel sauce
. Use a wooden spoon to combine.
- Allow the mixture to boil at a very high temperature
for about 15 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, the required temperature should be at least 150 degrees C.
- When you reach the required temp, add your peanuts to the pot, folding them into the caramel mixture.
- Make sure all the peanuts are well coated with the sauce…I prefer to have a fairly even proportion of peanuts to the syrup, that way it acts as a glue , as opposed to have the peanuts floating in the sugar mixture.
- While still hot, carefully pour the brittle mixture onto the prepared parchment paper in a pan, and quickly spread the mixture out, as thinly as desired. Set aside, and allow to cool.
- Once fully cooled (after at least 30 minutes), you’ll end up with a solid sheet of brittle.
- Break up the sheet into smaller manageable pieces, and pick one to enjoy!