Wow, that's a first for me - I've never seen paraffin used in peanut brittle, and frankly can't imagine that it would bring much to the recipe. I'd also recommend using a candy thermometer, to better ensure good results.
I've been making peanut brittle for Xmas the last couple of days, so I just happen to be at the point where I can give my recipe off the top of my head:
Correct UK Turkey SafetyThis advice also applies to game, such as partridge and pheasant. Main points to remember * Always make sure poultry is properly cooked before serving. * Keep...
For each pound of raw (Spanish) peanuts (about 2.5 cups):
3 cups sugar 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo) 1 1-3 cups water 1-2 stick (1-8 pound) butter 1 tsp. vanilla 1-2-1 tsp kosher salt (opt., to taste) 2 tsp. baking soda
In a large pot, mix sugar, syrup, and water, and heat to 275 degrees, stirring occasionally. Note that the temperature will be "stuck" around 212 degree as the water is boiled off (the water's basically there just to make the mix liquid until you can get it hot enough for the sugar and syrup to come together as a nice melted- sugar mix).
At 275 degrees, add the butter and peanuts; stir constantly until the temperature starts to come back up and the mix thins out again (it will cool quite a bit when the peanuts are added, and will for a while be fairly thick). Heat, stirring frequently, to 310 degrees.
Once the mix reaches 310, remove from the heat and immediately add the vanilla, soda, and salt, while stirring constantly. The mix will foam up rapidly; once it is uniformly mixed (should only take a few seconds), turn it out onto a buttered sheet pan or similar surface and smooth it out to uniform thickness. If you have a big enough surface, the mix can be stretched out (using silicone spatulas, etc.) to make a thinner brittle; if not, it fills a typical sheet pan ("home" sheet pan, which is usually about 3-4 a full sheet - 15" x 21") to make a brittle about 1-4" thick.
Let cool, turn out from the pan, and break into chunks of the desired size.
Bob M.
