Peanut brittle

Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted. Add the sugar, the syrup, a pinch of salt and 100ml water. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has melted. Brush down the sugar crystals from the side of the saucepan with a little water.

Simmer, without stirring, until the mixture reaches hard-crack stage (149-154°C). To test, drop a little mixture into cold water. It should separate into thin threads that are firm and brittle.

Add the peanuts and the bicarbonate of soda. Pour into a greased 25cm square baking tin. Mark into squares with a knife before the toffee has hardened. Break into squares and store in an airtight container.

Tips for making sweets:
Making sweets can be tricky. It is easier to achieve good results if you use a sugar thermometer to make sure that the temperatures are accurate.

Make sure you follow the recipe properly and measure accurately. Don’t substitute any ingredients.

Be very careful when working with sugar syrup. It gets extremely hot and can cause nasty burns.

Don’t make sweets on a humid day. If there is too much humidity in the air, the sweets will not set properly.

Always store the sweets in an airtight container.

Image and text: Ideas magazine.

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