Sugar High Friday #29!

One of the problems with having a food blog is that it can get a little monotonous to the reader. It runs into the danger of just documenting my meals, which while FASCINATING to me, can be a wee bit dull to you. So, to break things up a bit. I decided to participate in a few blogging events, starting with the famous Sugar High Friday event, the brainchild of the lovely Domestic Goddess.

This month's SHF is hosted by Emily at Chocolate in Context, and the theme is Raw Chocolate. Now, I certainly enjoy my chocolate, but I really, really enjoy it when it's paired with another flavor, like fruit or cookie dough. However, nothing, NOTHING gets my purr-organ purring (wow, that didn't come out as PG as I was hoping) like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Armed with my cacao nibs, I grabbed some roasted peanuts from my cabinet and set out to make some PeanutNib Brittle. (Aren't you glad I'm not in Marketing?) While the idea made sense in theory, I've never made brittle before, so I used Gale Gand's recipe for Cinnamon Peanut Brittle as a starting point. With minor modifications, PeanutNib Brittle was born!



I'm not a connesieur of peanut brittle by any means, but I thought this was pretty darn tasty! The cinnamon and cocao nibs add a spicy, coffee flavor to the sweet brittle. It's definitely a grown-up candy, and it definitely satisfies my peanut/chocolate need.


PeanutNib Brittle

1/2 c. water
2 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. roasted salted peanuts
1/2 c. cacao nibs
1 tsp. baking soda

First off, grease the heck out of a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with butter.

Next, combine the first three ingredients in a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer attached. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Boil the mixture until it reaches 300 degrees F(about 10 minutes). The color will be a deep golden brown. Remove from heat, and add the next five ingredients, working quickly.

Pour the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet and spread it out with the back of your wooden spoon. It probably won't fill the whole pan, but just try to spread out the mixture to an even thickness. Let it harden uncovered 30 to 45 min.

Using your hands, break the brittle into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Eat a piece. Enjoy.