Recipe: Flaky Peanut Brittle (using peanut butter)

FLAKY PEANUT BRITTLE

"Be sure to incorporate the peanut butter into the syrup, or else the brittle will have a gooey layer of peanut butter on its underside. This is some of the best peanut brittle I've tasted, and it is indeed flaky. The whole peanuts add to the texture interest, and the chunky peanut butter adds great peanut flavor. The syrup mixture undergoes an exciting chemical reaction when the leavening agents are added, so be prepared for the mixture to turn white and foam up." - Tester, Laura Reiley's

3/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy preferred)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light Karo corn syrup
1/2 cup water
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups raw Virginia peanuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Spread peanut butter into as big a circle as possible, 12 to 14 inches in diameter, on a marble slab or any other clean, hard surface. ("A friend uses the top of the washing machine," Wagner wrote.)

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Boil until the mixture will spin a thread off the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Add raw peanuts and cook until golden brown. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in baking soda and cream of tartar. Mixture will foam up. From here on, work quickly so candy does not harden before complete.

Pour mixture onto the peanut butter, mixing well with a flat metal spatula. Be careful to keep the syrup within the circle of the peanut butter. Spread candy out using 2 metal or rubber spatulas because it will be too hot to handle with your fingers. Allow a few minutes for the candy to set. Then break or pull into pieces. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dry place.

Makes about 1 pound
Source: Lenore Wagner of Walla Walla, Washington to the Baltimore, February 24, 1999