Ingredients
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1 1/4 cup salted peanuts
Directions
Yield: About 1 Pound Of Candy
Adding chocolate to peanut brittle makes the brittle taste different
from any you've ever had before.
Lightly butter a cookie sheet and set aside. In a small bowl, stir
together the cocoa and baking soda then add the butter. Set aside. In
a heavy 2 quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and
whipping cream. Cook, over medium heat, stirring constantly until
the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the peanuts. Continue cooking,
stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 300 Degrees F. or when
syrup dropped into very cold water separates into threads which are
hard and brittle. (Make sure that the bulb of the candy thermometer
is not resting on the bottom of the pan when using one.) Remove from
the heat and stir in the cocoa mixture. Immediately pour onto the
prepared cookie sheet. With tongs or wooden spoons, quickly spread
and pull into a 1/4-inch thickness. Place the cookie sheet on a wire
rack to cool completely. When the candy is cold, snap into pieces and
store in a tightly covered container.
Servings: 6 servings
Chocolatey Peanut Brittle Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy; Chocolate; Dessert
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as a concept can be tracked far back into antiquity, certainly as far back into history as the Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that is, generally, these early cook books were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe found, according to experts in ancient history is a series of ancient tablets in Sumerian which recount the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel `wonderful`. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a number of scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, he recounts how the roman meals were split into appetizers, entrees and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef tells us how the ancient chefs made use of a good variety of spices and herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like thyme, rue and parsley. Over the succeeding few centuries, the powerful and rich houses competed to serve the best banquets, and as a result chefs and their recipes could command a high salary. However, it was during the 1800s that cooking and cookery books rose to prominence. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, testing, and publishing recipes to help cooks of their time. When we get to the 20th century, cook books are highly popular due to increased literacy, leisure time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Chocolatey Peanut Brittle recipe.
