Fern Mae Myers Peanut Brittle

Fern Mae Myers

Fern Mae was my great aunt--my paternal grandmother's younger sister.  A number of my inherited recipes came from her.  I remember this peanut brittle in the winter, around the kitchen table at the farm while we played Hawaiian Rummy (or Screw Your Neighbor).

 Here is her recipe for peanut brittle from Leta's recipe box:





More legibly this reads:

2 c white sugar
1 C white corn syrup
1/2 c water
2 C peanuts
2t baking soda
2T butter
Put [the sugar, corn syrup and water] in a non reactive pot and cook until it "trizzles like a bell" (wtf? I am not sure about the writing) but essentially:  cook until soft ball heat on a candy thermometer.

Add 2 C of peanuts and cook until light brown.  Add 2 level teaspoons of [baking] soda and 2 T butter.  Take off and pour out onto a buttered sheet until [desired] thickness--(pull out).  Cool and "crack" the baking sheet to shatter the brittle.  Store in airtight containers.  It can be frozen for long term storage.

Note:  This can be made from other nuts.  My daughter--Thing 1--is allergic to peanuts, so I use almonds.