Sunday, December 14, 2008

How to make Sugar Free Peanut Brittle


Abbie, at the farmer's daughter said she wanted to see the peanut brittle- one thing I learned in school and working for a school system is When the teach wants to see something you show it!
When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I thought all of the treats at Christmas were gone for me.
I have since learned that I can have the treats, I may just need to re-learn how to make them. One of my favorite things at Christmas was Peanut Brittle. My Aunt Orinne used to make the best peanut brittle and sugar cookies so thin you could use them for windows. (I loved thin crisp cookies!) O ain't found a decent sugar cookie recipe yet (or how to roll them paper thin) Anyway I was googling around one day and learned about Maltitol. And how it can be used to make things like sugar free peanut brittle-
Here is the recipe I use
Where to buy Maltitol

A batch of brittle cooling on parchment paper















All the ingredients:
1 cup of Maltitol
1 stick of butter
1 cup of peanuts
















Melt the butter over medium heat















Add the Maltitol, mix and stir until it starts bubbling- not a rolling boil














Add the peanuts and continue stirring- The Maltitol will separate and rejoin itself again- Don't burn the peanuts!





Take a cookie sheet lined with a sheet of Parchment or wax paper and pour the golden molten brittle on it. Let cool.
SOME TRICKS I HAVE LEARNED MAKING THIS PEANUT BRITTLE-
-While the picks show me making it in a sauce pan, a large frying pan works better. I don't know the reason. It just does. Trust me.
-Even though it is nice and gooey and sweet looking - fight the temptation to stick your tongue in it or your finger to take a taste- it is MOLTEN HOT!!!
-Place the parchment in the cookie sheet before starting
-And measure your ingredients first and place them in bowls- makes the process a whole lot easier
And according to the recipe they let it sit in the nonstick frying pan to cool- I wouldn't (too hard to remove) I prefer using parchment paper. I have used wax paper but the wax on the paper melts off (eeeeww)

14 comments:

Farmer's Daughter said...

Hey! I encourage kids to make their own decisions and challenge authority!

But thanks for sharing :)

Robj98168 said...

To Qoute Johns Cougar Mellancamp-
(Ahem)
I fight authority, authority always wins!

Farmer's Daughter said...

Haha!

BusyDad said...

Funny we both posted about brittle. tis the season I guess! Great tip about NOT sticking your finger in. That stuff is like napalm. It burns. And it does NOT come off. Happy New Year to you and your family!

Kelli said...

Rob, Have you ever bought the Maltitol at a grocery store or do you always buy it on line? If you have purchased it at a grocery store, does it go by a different name? Thanks.

Robj98168 said...

Kelli-I always buy it online- I have never found in the grocery store

Unknown said...

Could you use other sweeteners? Such as Equal?

Lyn-So said...

Wow, thanks for this great tip about Maltitol powder! I've been looking everywhere for a good sugar-free sweetener to use that does have the nasty aftertaste a lot of the ones I've tried do, such as Equal and Splenda. They're very useful, but when you can tell the difference, boy, you can sure tell the difference!

Incidentally, when learning to make brittle in the candy module during baking school, I asked my teacher the same question about frying pans versus pots for certain brittles (or other sugar heavy related candies, like divinity, broken glass, or honey melts), and the answer she gave was that it had to do with even distribution of heat in such a wide-bottomed shallow pan as opposed to the longer wait period of a deeper pot where you have to be careful to make sure the sugar doesn't crystalize. It also has something to do with the fact that cooking sugar for brittle doesn't have to get as hot or be so carefully monitered as others, and I always thought it was interesting.

(Just in case you were still curious!) Thanks again!

Jeannie said...

Heya Rob, I tried using zylitiol and my brittle got REALLY dark. Was my heat too high, maybe? The only reason I ask is that maltitol and zylitol are both sugar alcohol.
Thanx,
CannaBaked

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear about your sugar-free peanut brittle recipe. Do you use raw or roasted peanuts and do you ever add baking soda for a lighter texture?

Here's my email: carolekerr@juno.com

Marcila Dare said...

Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I never thought peanut brittle can be made without sugar. I like peanut brittle, but I'm afraid that the sugar will damage my teeth. My dentist would love this recipe, too. Keep up the good work!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Where can I get Maltitol??

Anonymous said...

I am hoping to use truvia as that is what I use as my sweetener. Any opinion?