PicSpam - Candy (Peanut and Sesame Seed Brittle)
For some reason I have had a sweet craving lately. As I've mentioned before, candy making is one of my big failings. I have a candy thermometer. In fact, I have two. But, regardless of that fact, I find that I depend on the trusty small glass of ice cold water and a metal spoon to decide when the candy is 'done' ie, soft/hard ball, hard crack stage.
Another reason I probably have problems with making candy is that I make it so rarely that by the time I want to make it again, I've forgotten all the little 'tips and tricks' I've learned to make it come out right.
Brittle (clockwise from the top) - dark peanut, black and white sesame seed, pale peanut with melted chocolate drizzle.
In the last 16-18 hrs, I've made 3 batches of brittle.
The first batch (peanut brittle) got a bit darker than I would have liked, cause I was using the stupid candy thermometer and trying to get it to register 300 deg F before I went to the cup of cold water to find that it was ready. In the haste of getting the butter, peanuts and then baking soda into the pan after I took it off the heat, I forgot to put my baking sheet on a cooling rack ... almost melting the VERY inexpensive vinyl tablecloth I had on my kitchen table. :) PS: DO NOT use a dark saucepan to cook the syrup in as you won't be able to tell if your syrup has reached that golden/amber colour so you can start testing it.
The sesame seed brittle, using a combination of white and black sesame seeds, because I ran out of white sesame seeds, turned out much better, but making it had its challenges too. You can't drop JUST the 'syrup' part of the brittle into the cold water to check for the hard crack because you're cooking the sesame seeds in the mixture at the same time. So you end up with chunks of nuts/syrup. Judging by colour is almost impossible as you can barely SEE the syrup around the sesame seeds. So I went by the browning of the white sesame seeds. I think making just black sesame seed brittle would present even MORE challenges.
The last batch (peanut brittle again) was JUST at the hard crack stage when I added the butter and peanuts (omitting the baking soda) resulting in a boringly pale brittle. So, I had to decorate it with some leftover melted chocolate to make it look nicer. Next time, I'd cook the peanuts in the syrup for another couple/few minutes before pouring the brittle. I only made a half batch of this test brittle as I forgot why I had made a note in my recipe not to use the baking soda.
Peanut Brittle (other nuts may be substituted)
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup peanuts, blanched, unsalted and split into halves
1 tablespoons butter, softened (plus more to butter cookie sheet)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter a large cookie sheet or line with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside, preferably on a cooling rack, to help the finished brittle cool faster.
USE A LIGHT COLOURED SAUCEPAN so that you can see the colour of the syrup clearly.
In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat (5 on an electric range), bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Make sure you pour the water around the margins of the pan so as to wash down all of the sugar that may be on the edges. You may swirl the pan GENTLY until sugar is dissolved but DO NOT STIR.
Set candy thermometer in place, if you have one, and continue cooking. DO NOT STIR mixture and cook until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of the hot mixture dropped into very cold water (water with an ice cube in it) separates into hard and brittle threads. This will take 5-10 minutes, usually.
The syrup should be a golden colour similar to honey at this point. It will continue cooking while you add the butter etc.
Remove from heat; immediately stir in the butter, peanuts and baking soda; pour at once onto the cookie sheet. Cool. Snap candy into pieces.
NOTE: I found that a silicone spatula works quite well for stirring in the nuts etc in preference to a wooden spoon.
NOTE 2: Adding a small amount of baking soda to the hot mixture right before pouring it out will cause the mixture to foam up a bit, as the baking soda reacts with the acid from the caramelization of the sugar. This creates bubbles of carbon dioxide which helps produce a slightly lighter, more porous texture for the brittle, making it easier to eat.
Sesame Seed Brittle (~10 ounces of brittle)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp water
1 cup raw sesame seeds, preferably white
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Put the sugar, honey, salt, nutmeg, and water into a small (1 1/2 quart), thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat (5 on an electric range) until the sugar has melted without stirring. Then, as quickly as possible stir in the raw sesame seeds.
Cook the sesame seed mixture, without stirring if possible, until the mixture turns an amber caramel color, about 5 to 10 minutes.
If you have a candy thermometer, the temp should be 300°F. At this point, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Once the butter has completely melted into the mixture, stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up a bit after you stir in the baking soda, as the baking soda reacts with the acid from the caramelization of the sugar.
Pour the mixture out onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet. (If you don't have Silpat, no worries, pour directly onto a metal baking sheet that has been rubbed with butter or lined with parchment paper .) Once completely cooled and hardened (about 15-20 minutes), break into pieces or using a large sharp knife cut into 1 1/2" strips and then squares.
Final problem ... I have all this candy and no one to eat it cause I'm NOT going to eat it by myself.
Really!
I'm NOT!! (whimper)
Another reason I probably have problems with making candy is that I make it so rarely that by the time I want to make it again, I've forgotten all the little 'tips and tricks' I've learned to make it come out right.
Brittle (clockwise from the top) - dark peanut, black and white sesame seed, pale peanut with melted chocolate drizzle.
In the last 16-18 hrs, I've made 3 batches of brittle.
The first batch (peanut brittle) got a bit darker than I would have liked, cause I was using the stupid candy thermometer and trying to get it to register 300 deg F before I went to the cup of cold water to find that it was ready. In the haste of getting the butter, peanuts and then baking soda into the pan after I took it off the heat, I forgot to put my baking sheet on a cooling rack ... almost melting the VERY inexpensive vinyl tablecloth I had on my kitchen table. :) PS: DO NOT use a dark saucepan to cook the syrup in as you won't be able to tell if your syrup has reached that golden/amber colour so you can start testing it.
The sesame seed brittle, using a combination of white and black sesame seeds, because I ran out of white sesame seeds, turned out much better, but making it had its challenges too. You can't drop JUST the 'syrup' part of the brittle into the cold water to check for the hard crack because you're cooking the sesame seeds in the mixture at the same time. So you end up with chunks of nuts/syrup. Judging by colour is almost impossible as you can barely SEE the syrup around the sesame seeds. So I went by the browning of the white sesame seeds. I think making just black sesame seed brittle would present even MORE challenges.
The last batch (peanut brittle again) was JUST at the hard crack stage when I added the butter and peanuts (omitting the baking soda) resulting in a boringly pale brittle. So, I had to decorate it with some leftover melted chocolate to make it look nicer. Next time, I'd cook the peanuts in the syrup for another couple/few minutes before pouring the brittle. I only made a half batch of this test brittle as I forgot why I had made a note in my recipe not to use the baking soda.
Peanut Brittle (other nuts may be substituted)
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup peanuts, blanched, unsalted and split into halves
1 tablespoons butter, softened (plus more to butter cookie sheet)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter a large cookie sheet or line with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside, preferably on a cooling rack, to help the finished brittle cool faster.
USE A LIGHT COLOURED SAUCEPAN so that you can see the colour of the syrup clearly.
In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat (5 on an electric range), bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Make sure you pour the water around the margins of the pan so as to wash down all of the sugar that may be on the edges. You may swirl the pan GENTLY until sugar is dissolved but DO NOT STIR.
Set candy thermometer in place, if you have one, and continue cooking. DO NOT STIR mixture and cook until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of the hot mixture dropped into very cold water (water with an ice cube in it) separates into hard and brittle threads. This will take 5-10 minutes, usually.
The syrup should be a golden colour similar to honey at this point. It will continue cooking while you add the butter etc.
Remove from heat; immediately stir in the butter, peanuts and baking soda; pour at once onto the cookie sheet. Cool. Snap candy into pieces.
NOTE: I found that a silicone spatula works quite well for stirring in the nuts etc in preference to a wooden spoon.
NOTE 2: Adding a small amount of baking soda to the hot mixture right before pouring it out will cause the mixture to foam up a bit, as the baking soda reacts with the acid from the caramelization of the sugar. This creates bubbles of carbon dioxide which helps produce a slightly lighter, more porous texture for the brittle, making it easier to eat.
Sesame Seed Brittle (~10 ounces of brittle)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp water
1 cup raw sesame seeds, preferably white
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Put the sugar, honey, salt, nutmeg, and water into a small (1 1/2 quart), thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat (5 on an electric range) until the sugar has melted without stirring. Then, as quickly as possible stir in the raw sesame seeds.
Cook the sesame seed mixture, without stirring if possible, until the mixture turns an amber caramel color, about 5 to 10 minutes.
If you have a candy thermometer, the temp should be 300°F. At this point, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Once the butter has completely melted into the mixture, stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up a bit after you stir in the baking soda, as the baking soda reacts with the acid from the caramelization of the sugar.
Pour the mixture out onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet. (If you don't have Silpat, no worries, pour directly onto a metal baking sheet that has been rubbed with butter or lined with parchment paper .) Once completely cooled and hardened (about 15-20 minutes), break into pieces or using a large sharp knife cut into 1 1/2" strips and then squares.
Final problem ... I have all this candy and no one to eat it cause I'm NOT going to eat it by myself.
Really!
I'm NOT!! (whimper)