PrissyCook

I didn’t grow up baking. I grew up making candy. I know of the scale of time, talent and patience; Candy takes the cake? But that’s how it was. My mom making pralines, my grandmother making divinity and fudge and my job was making the peanut brittle.I was 12 or 13, and that was 16 or 17 years ago, when a revelation was made in our candy making world, Microwavable Peanut Brittle.

There was a lot of excitement in the kitchen that year. Here was a candy recipe that didn’t require constant attention; it didn’t require a thermometer, just a wooden spoon and Pyrex. My mom’s original recipe card says it’s from B. Hill. I don’t know who that is, but she was Betty Crocker for us that year.

The trick to this recipe is that you don’t do a lot to it while it’s being nuked. Just leave the wooden spoon the dish while it’s cooking. Make sure you choose a spoon that will fit in your microwave and because the candy is pretty harsh on the spoon, you might as well just dedicate it to this recipe and use it each time you make it.The brittle has such a great buttery flavor (see the glean on the picture) and it’s just the right combination of firm on the outside and gets slightly softer in the middle. 

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar
1 cup raw spanish peanuts
Dash of salt
1/2 cup white Karo Syrup
1 T. margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda

Mix syrup, salt, peanuts and sugar with wooden spoon in a 1 3/4 quart size Pyrex
Put in microwave for 8 minutes, turning four times.
LEAVE SPOON IN THE PYREX. DONT STIR IT EITHER.
Take out of the microwave and add the margarine and vanilla.
Put back in the microwave for 2 additional minutes.
DO NOT STIR.
Take out and mix in the  baking soda.
Quickly pour mixture out onto a greased cookie sheet.
Cool 30 minutes.

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