Sweet Meslissa Sundays: Peanut Praline

Redemption!  I successfully made brittle.  Last time I attempted Melissa Murphy's brittle recipe it was a failure.  Many of the other SMS bakers have struggled with her recipe too which resulted in seeking out alternative recipes.  Hanaa has a brittle recipe that has worked really well for her and Margot tried a similar recipe that was also a success.  Like Tess of Cookin' Chemist, I decided to use Margot's recipe (minus the cayenne pepper) and low and behold, the product was a tasty, perfectly edible and delicious brittle.

So what does brittle have to do with Peanut Praline?  Melissa Murphy suggests grinding up homemade brittle to use as a praline topping for ice cream.  It's a brilliant idea.  I took half the brittle and broke into large pieces and placed it inside a large ziploc bag.  I zipped the bag, placed it on top of a cutting board and used my meat mallet to pulverize the brittle, leaving a few small pieces for extra crunch.  It's a wonderful ice cream topping.  My only regret is I didn't have chocolate ice cream at home, so I had to go with vanilla.  The praline adds a caramel, salty, cinnamon flavor with crunchy texture that takes plain ice cream to another level.   Luckily I have lots of left over praline so I can try it with other ice cream flavors.
    

Thanks to Ruby of I Dream of Baking for hosting this week's recipe. To see how other SMS bakers did this week click here.

Peanut Brittle
by Margot at Effort to Deliciousness adapted from Allrecipes.com and About.com
1 cup sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 ½ cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the baking soda, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and set aside. Also set aside the two tablespoons of butter.

Combine the sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook the candy mixture, stirring frequently, until the thermometer reads 275 degrees, then add the peanuts and stir to combine. Keep cooking, still stirring frequently, until the thermometer reads 300 degrees.

Once the thermometer reaches 300 degrees, remove the pan from heat; immediately stir in butter and the baking soda/spice mixture. Pour the candy onto the prepared sheet and spread with a greased spatula. Cool the brittle completely and then break into pieces, either by hand or with a knife on a cutting board.