So Simple Peanut Brittle!

This is a Nigella Recipe from her Christmas Cookbook. It tastes absolutely delicious and would probably work even as toffee without the nuts - thats next on my list to try! :)

Ingredients:

200g Caster sugar
60ml water
150g golden syrup
150g salted peanuts
1 1/2tsp vanilla extract
25g soft butter
1 1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Get out a large sheet of Bake-o-glide or reusable baking paper (i used baking paper) and sit it beside the stove ready to receive the britle once its ready to pour.

2. Put the sugar, water and syrup into a pan, bring to the boil gently, then turn up te heat and let it boil seriously for 10 minutes. It will be smoking by then so be warned! (stand over it all the time to make sure it doesnt catch - mine did the first time and the house smelled of burnt toffee for days!!) LOL3. Take the pan off the heat and, with a wooden spoon, stir in the nuts, followed by the vanilla, butter and bicarb. You will have a glden, frothy, hot and gooey mix.

4. Pour this quickly onto the waiting parchment and using a wooden spoon coax and pull it to make a nut studded sheet, puddle shaped rather than heaped.5. Leave it to cool, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container. (I found it best to keep it in the fridge as it will all go soft and mold back to one piece if left somewhere warm - yes, been there done that too!) lolCan be made up to a week in advance and kept airtight. Once opened eat within 7 - 10 days :)

In answer to Kims question on the comments the other day - i much prefer using Green and Blacks dark chocolate. Its just so much richer and gives that kick for dark chocolate. HOWEVER, i have found that theres a new discount brand at Tesco (cant for the life of me remember its name but its Tesco own iykwim) that comes as a large bar but is actually 5 smaller 25g bars - this was equally as nice and about 1/3 of the price of G&B :)

Fingers crossed in feeling better tomorrow - today has been spent in bed :( My SPD has kicked in with force and its taken me 5 mins just to get from one side to the other, this post has been done with one finger in the most comfortable position i could find so has taken me around an hour to do! lol Doc visit tomorrow to see if i can get an elastic waist band to ease the pain!

Little Elfie has been up to mischief again - he drew YES DREW!!! on the boys faces while they were asleep!! I dont know who was more shocked - the boys because they woke up with twirly mustaches or me as he used my eyeliner!! ;) Will share pics tomorrow - needless to say today has kinda gone by in a blur!