Pistachio Brittle

The 12 Days of Christmas Bake Along, Day 9

I fully credit my sister for this brilliance, as well as the work that went into making this batch of brittle for me to photograph in action.

As a child I never cared for peanut brittle.  Until my sister decided to make it with pistachios one year, I had no idea how good this fun holiday treat truly was.  Now it proudly sits near the top of the family’s traditional holiday baking list every year.  I gladly give her all the glory for effortlessly whipping up this lovely batch photographed above.

The recipe for Peanut Brittle is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.  It’s perfect the way it is and we have never felt the need to alter it except for changing the nuts from peanuts to pistachios.

My siblings and I grew up learning how to cook out of this book.  In our home it is simply called “the red and white cookbook.”  My children will learn how to cook many things from this book also.  If you’re a novice in the kitchen and want to build your cookbook collection and home your skills, the is the first and foremost cookbook recommendation I will happily give to anyone.

Pistachio Brittle

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup water

2 1/2 cups shelled pistachios (salted if possible)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Lay 2 regular silpat baking mats on the counter.  This is where you will be pouring the candy to cool at the end, so make sure it is a spot you won’t need to work on later.

“Butter the sides of a 3qt saucepan.  In the pan combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, and water.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat Until the mixture boils.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium-low; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 275 degrees Fahrenheit (hard crack stage), 15-20 more minutes.

Remove pan from heat; remove thermometer.  Quickly sprinkle baking soda into mixture, stirring constantly.  Immediately pour onto baking sheets.”

Use a silicone spatula to spread the mixture evenly onto the mats so that the nuts are in a single layer.  It must be cooled completely before breaking into pieces.