crockpot lady's peanut-not-so-brittle

Or something.

It's not crunchy like brittle candy, but it's all kinds of fantastic.

Stephanie, AKA Crockpot Lady, had this up on her site a day or two ago and I nearly had an eyegasm reading it and imagining it's oogey gooey goodness. 

You know me and anything peanut.  It's a love affair from way back.

So I rushed out and bought the ingredients and made it for my dinner. 

The kids had pizza rolls.

I made peanut brittle.  In the crockpot.

Here's the cast of characters using Stephanie's recipe.

3 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

4 cups nuts (like her, I used 3 cups peanuts, 1 cup almonds)

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

 

First, take 4 tbsp butter.

 

And arrange it nicely in the crockpot.   I call this pose pleasantly perpendicular.

 

This pose is called weather vane.

 

I call this one butter lovers.

 

This one I call MOM!  He's touching me!

 

Lastly, we have our leaning tower of dairy product.

However you like, just git yer dang butter in the crock pot.

 

Then add 3 cups of sugar.  I christen this pose cavity in a pyrex serviette.

 

Cover your butter siblings.

 

Going. . .

 

Gone.  Goodbye butter.  Till we meet again!

 

Then take your light corn syrup, and the cleanest measuring cup you can find (this one is permanently stained with red from egg dying I think?).

 

And fill 'er up.

 

Dump the corn syrup into your crock.

 

It has promise, yes?

 

Now for 2 tsp of vanilla.

 

I love this stuff.  My favorite spice.  My favorite scent.  About all I can stand via candle, air freshener, or potpourri. 

 

Don't stir it, just cover your dirty crockpot from the 80's.

 

 

And turn on high for one hour.

Don't hate.  I actually have a rather ironic story about why I have such a dilapidated ugly dirty old crockpot.  We got 3 for our wedding 1o years ago.  And I, in my simplemindedness, couldn't fathom needing more than one, especially a big one when our family was so small at the time.  Can I get a doy?  So, I returned the two larger ones keeping only a teeny little guy which is cute and clean-mostly because I hardly use it-but easy to take care of.  A few kids later and I can barely fit our meals into it anymore, so my mother-in-law donates me one of hers . It's bad.  I won't show you the inside under the crock.  And one side's handle has gone a'missin'.  But you know what?  It crocks.  And because of that, it rocks.  And I am happy with my rockin' crocker.  The end.

 

So here is my brittle cooking away. 

During this 60 minutes, make yourself your real dinner.

 

I made these.  And they were good.  And there was much rejoicing in the land.  And spreading of the hips.

 

After 60 minutes, my mixture looked like this. 

 

Now you may stir.  That is one of the hardest things for me in regards to crockpot cooking.  I hate just leaving it.  I want to lift the lid and smell and taste and stir and observe and otherwise poke at said food.  However, that is a big no-no with crockin'. 

 

After you stir, add the baking soda.  Now Stephanie's instructions said, and I quote: "It will sizzle and make fun noises."  I was looking forward to this, as I've made peanut brittle before and this certainly is what I was used to. 

However, in my case, there was no sizzling.  So I started to get a mite bit a'sceered I'd done something wrong.

 

Anyhoo, the next direction said to cover again and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.  I said a little prayer and hoped for the best.  Knowing if it failed, I'd eat it anyway.  Cuz let's face it, I can't be wasteful.

 

Whilst thy peanut brittle cooketh, prepare two cookie sheets with release reynolds wrap or parchment paper.  I didn't buy any of either at the store because I thought I had some parchment paper (I always feel somewhat akin' to Martha when I buy/look at/use parchment paper) however, when I came home, I found I had none.  So I just sprayed my aluminum foil with non-stick butter spray.  It worked just fine and non-sticked very well.

 

Here's a close-up of my non-stick butter spray, cuz I'm all about the details here.

 

The instructions said to check and stir, cover for 15-30 minutes again and continue to cook until the sugar mixture is brown and looks the color of peanut brittle.  In retrospect, mine looks more like melted fondue cheese (allow me a second here. . . mmmm. . .) however, I've burned peanut brittle before (and of course still eaten it) and I didn't want that to happen again, so I turned my crock off at this point.  Yes, I fear, premature decrockization.

 

Now it's time to go nuts!

 

3 cups peanuts, 1 cup almonds.

 

Send those bad boys home.

 

Carefully pour out the brittle onto the two prepared cookie sheets.  This is when a helper would have been really nice.  Alas, all my helpers are either under the age of 10 or at work, so I had to work a little magic to make this happen.  But never fear.  I am nothing if not magical.

 

Looks good, ey?

As Stephanie warned, this won't become truly 'brittle' because the crock just doesn't get that hot.  It becomes more of a gooey taffy-consistency which is just plain delish.  Let this sit for about an hour, then break apart and inhale.

 

In the meantime, play with your camera.

I could not get to sleep until 3 in the morning for some reason.  Anyone have a cure for baggy eyes?

 

I cut my own bangs last night.  That statement is usually followed by ". . . and now I wish I'd never picked up the scissors."  But I am actually SO GLAD I finally whacked those bangs off.  They'd been driving me nuts since the stylist had gotten ahold of them and given them a life of their own back in June.  I'm way too polite to tell a hairdresser I don't like what they've done.  No, I'm way too chicken.  That's it.

 

Remember, all of these poses are required by you when you make Peanut-not-so-Brittle as well.  It's the law.

 

And this last one's for you Stephanie.  Thanks for your great recipes.  238 days and recipes going strong.  You're amazing.

 

So yeah, the final product is a bit underdone.  I should have let it cook that last 30 minutes, but I'm a chicken and didn't want to burn it.   These didn't set too well, but they are very tasty and taste kinda like a melted payday bar.  But yummier.

And plus, since they're such a gooey sticky yummy mess, I really don't want to share with the kids.  Cuz you know, they'll just make a mess and get sticky fingerprints all over the place.  So I'll have to finish it off myself.  All in the sake of cleanliness you know, and you know who that puts me next to.