Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (83 page)

Brittle can be enjoyed on its own, but it also makes a wonderful garnish for desserts. Use different nuts—such as cashews or almonds—to complement your ice creams or cakes.

Candy-Making Notes:

This recipe has you pull the brittle mixture like a taffy, giving it a lovely airy texture. Use extreme caution when handling the hot brittle mixture, and wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. Brittle is best made on a dry day; humidity can prevent it from setting up.

Recipe:

1.
Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

2.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, salt, and ½ cup water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it reaches a boil. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 280°F, soft crack stage.

3.
Stir in peanuts. Reduce to medium-high heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 300°F, hard crack stage.

4.
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.

5.
Spread mixture on the baking sheet with a spatula.

6.
When the candy has cooled enough to handle but is still hot, butter your hands and pull the brittle from all sides until it is very thin.

7.
When the brittle is cool, break into pieces.

Yield:

About 2 pounds of brittle

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

General Description:

Adding peanut butter to brittle gives it a soft, creamy texture, and covering peanut butter brittle in chocolate makes it an irresistible candy bar
. The Butterfinger bar is a popular American candy with a crisp peanut butter center covered in chocolate. Although the exact Butterfinger recipe is unknown, it is possible to make a similar candy by mixing peanut butter with a classic brittle-making technique. This is a crunchy, flaky candy with intense peanut butter flavor.

History:

Butterfinger was created by the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923. This Chicago candy company also invented the Baby Ruth candy bar. When Curtiss Candy Company was sold to Nabisco in 1981, the original recipes for Butterfinger and Baby Ruth were lost. Nabisco had to re-create the candy bars from scratch.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve these candies on Halloween, along with
coconut- and-almond candy
and
peanut-butter cups
. Cover them with festive foil wrappers or place them in individual candy cups.

Candy-Making Notes:

Like all brittles, this candy is best made on a dry day. Humidity can make it too sticky and chewy. For pure peanutty goodness, omit the chocolate coating.

Recipe:

1.
Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with foil and butter well.

2.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it reaches a boil. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 300°F, hard crack stage.