Friday, February 3, 2017

Beer Nut Brittle

Back about the same time I was cooking up the Vanilla Stout Glazed Nuts, I decided that the literal "beer nut" theme was something too good to pass up for a single recipe. Not only did I have most of the can of vanilla stout lying in wait, but I wanted to see what other things I could do with the two key ingredients.

Beer Nut Brittle

That said, over the holidays (when I made this - the first time), kitchen, pot, bowl and pan space is at a premium. With every conceivable saucepan in the house in use (except our tiny "porridge pot" for two), I turned to the same method that worked so well when I made Chickpea Brittle - the microwave! Not only is it great for getting things cooking and cooling fast, but my microwave is far more even at cooking things like sugar than most of our old, well-loved but battered pots on the stove. The ingredients for the beer-based brittle were a little more complex to get to the right temperature than the basic chickpea one I made before, but as long as the mixture is fairly thick and starting to coat the nuts easily before adding the baking soda and vanilla, you're laughing.

Then again, you do have to wait for this to cool completely... and due to the beer (at least that's what I'm blaming) its more delicate and slightly "grainier" than your usual brittles would be. No matter though - one taste and you'll be as hooked as we were! Here's to offering a new "beer nut" this football Sunday!

Beer Nut Brittle
Makes 10 servings
1/2 cup stout beer (I used a vanilla stout)
1 cup vanilla sugar (I grind this in a spice grinder until fine)
1 tbsp golden syrup or dark corn syrup
1 cup peanuts
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
  1. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with SilPat or parchment.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the beer, sugar and corn syrup.
  3. Microwave 4 ½ minutes.
  4. Stir in the peanuts and microwave 3 minutes.
  5. Stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Be careful, as the mixture will foam and steam.
  6. Quickly pour the brittle over the prepared pan, spreading it thin. Cool the brittle completely, then break into pieces.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 172.2
Total Fat: 7.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 5.2 mg
Total Carbs: 25.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 3.5 g

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