As the cold weather finally rolls in and Halloween approaches, it’s time to say goodbye to peak summer produce and welcome October’s own seasonal specialty: candy. But we’re not just talking about the fun-sized treats we’ll devour as we await trick-or-treaters next week. Instead, we’re classing it up with this recipe for a homemade, salty–sweet peanut brittle, which Jessica B. Harris and Albert G. Lukas featured in their Beard Award–nominated Sweet Home Café Cookbook: A Celebration of African American Cooking.
Start by heating sugar, corn syrup, water, and butter until it reaches 275°F (a candy thermometer is a necessity to properly execute this treat), then toss in a few handfuls of shelled, roasted peanuts and keep cooking for a few more minutes. Once the molten mixture has reached 295°F, remove it from the heat and incorporate some baking soda. Then, (very carefully) spread it onto baking sheets, top it with a healthy sprinkling of sea salt, and spend a few hours testing your capacity to resist the glossy goodness. Once it’s cool enough to eat, you can break it into pieces to share with friends, but we’d understand if you kept it all to yourself, instead. Get the recipe.
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Frank Guerriero is the media assistant at the Beard Foundation. Find him on Instagram.
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