Microwave Peanut Brittle

• 1.5 cups of raw, shelled Virginia peanuts (leave the skins on)
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• Mix the peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt together in a microwave-safe casserole dish until well mixed
   
• Cook in a microwave on high for 4 minutes; open and stir the mix well; then cook on high for another 4 minutes
   
• Open, stir in the butter and vanilla, then microwave on high for a further 2 minutes
   
• Finally, remove from the microwave, open the dish, add the baking soda and stir quickly until the mix is light and foamy
   
• Immediately pour the mixture onto a lightly-greased baking sheet, spreading it out thinly
   
• Allow the mix to cool - then break it into small pieces and store in an airtight container

Chris says: If you have a microwave and you'd like to whip up some peanut brittle in a hurry, this recipe will let you do it in a little less than 10 minutes (plus cooling time, of course). NB: Times are based on a 700Wmicrowave oven. Adjust cooking time to suit your own oven.

The trick to making thin, tender peanut brittle is to keep the baking sheet(s) you use warm. I recommend heating them in a conventional oven at around 200^o F (about 95^o C) before you spread the peanut brittle mix. This should allow you to spread the mix 1cm to 2cm thick without it setting up.

You should also keep a close eye on this recipe. Because of the variations in microwave heating power we've had a few reports over the years of people who've applied the power a little too enthusiastically and had this recipeexplode over the inside of their microwave. So when cooking this up, err on the side of caution!