Good morning Darlings,

I love to experiment with flavor. I used to make peanut brittle for my father. It was one of his favorite treats. The cardinal rule of making any candy but especially peanut brittle is patience, patience, patience. The basics of peanut brittle are fairly universal but it’s fun to add something unexpected.

Rosemary and Maple Peanut Brittle

Homemade candy that pairs the unexpected

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fresh rosemary, maple syrup, peanut brittle

Servings:

Calories: 798kcal

Equipment

candy thermometer
Williams Sonoma Goldtouch half sheet baking tray
parchment paper
Bowl of ice water
3 quart pot

Ingredients

1 tbsp fresh rosemary very finely chopped / heaping tablespoon
1 tbsp Lyle's Golden Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1 lb peanuts blanched and salted
1 1/2 cups sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Have all of your ingredients ready to go in front of you before you start. This is definitely not something you want to clean off of your stove top because it boiled over so I find that having all of the ingredients, bowls, pots, pans and paper in front of you helps immensely
You will need a parchment paper lined baking sheet, heavy pot, a candy thermometer and a bowl of ice water. This mixture will be very hot and sticky so take care while working with it. That being said, have fun. Making candy is very different from any other kind of cooking or baking.
Pour the sugar, corn syrup, golden syrup and maple syrup and water in a heavy bottomed pot. Stir to blend, melting the sugar. Cook until boiling (about eight minutes. The sugar should be melted and the mixture should be bubbly).
Add the butter and continue to cook for another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. I usually adhere more to the color and temp than the time cooked. Every stove is different but the temp at this point should be between 260-280 degrees and the color should be a buttery yellow.
Add the rosemary. Admittedly, I thought I'd made a huge mistake when I first dropped in the rosemary. It clung to the sides and looked weird. Just give it time - it will start to mesh with the sugar while it's cooking and blend properly. If you drop a bit of the mixture into a bowl of ice water and it holds yet is pliable enough to form a shape, it should be ready for the next step.
Add the salted peanuts. I used blanched/salted peanuts to cut the sweetness in this. It's a TON of sugary sweetness in this recipe and I found the salty peanuts and rosemary help balance that a bit.
Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for at least another 20 minutes or so. The temperature ideally should be between 300-305 degrees. I tend to wait until the higher end of that spectrum. The mixture will darken at this point. When you drop a bit into the ice water it should form a thin and brittle (hence the name) strand.
Remove from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir very well, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the pan with a rubber scraper to really mix in the baking soda.
Immediately pour into the baking sheet and spread thinly.
Let cool completely. This will take a couple of hours. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and whack it gently with a hammer.
Store the pieces in a parchment paper lined tin or container. (I used the same paper I had placed on top because I hate waste. I'm quirky that way)