Spicy Peanut Brittle Recipe (Using Leftover Cowboy Candy Syrup) - Our Little Homestead (2024)

FAQs

What can you do with cowboy candy? ›

Literally anything. Top a burger, a bagel and cream cheese or a pizza. Chop and add to any salad, especially ones where you might otherwise use pickle relish — egg, chicken or potato salad, for example — or dips and sandwich spreads. They elevate nachos to a religious experience.

Baking soda is also very important at this stage since it reacts to the heat, creating carbon dioxide that aerates the caramel, enabling it to snap when someone bites into it rather than requiring them to gnaw at it until it breaks or pulls apart.

So, I Googled Salvaging Undercooked Peanut Brittle and followed Tiffany's helpful instructions to throw the pieces back in the pan, turn the heat up and stir, stir, and stir to a raging boil and wait to pour it in the pan until it reaches 300 degrees.

- Break the stale peanut brittle into smaller pieces. - Place the brittle pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. - Heat the brittle in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, checking frequently to avoid overcooking.

Now there's another flavorful cowboy dish to add to your vocabulary: cowboy candy, a jarred condiment that brings the heat and the sweet. Essentially candied jalapeños, cowboy candy offers the tantalizing blend of sugar and spice that naturally compliments savory dishes, falling into the same class as pepper jelly.

Drizzle melted hard candy over your popcorn to create a sweet and salty delicacy. You may choose one type of candy or mix your favorites to form an unforgettable flavorful snack. If you'd like to add texture, simply crush up the candy and mix it in for crunchy goodness.

Why did my peanut brittle turn out chewy? The likely cause is that the sugar mixture didn't reach the proper hard crack stage temperature. Ensuring it reaches 300˚F is key to getting that classic brittle texture.

Should you refrigerate peanut brittle? Store the brittle in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month to maintain the crisp. Moisture in the refrigerator would soften the brittle.

I don't recommend substituting honey, molasses, or agave for the corn syrup. Those other liquid sugars have impurities that will burn at the higher temperature of making caramel, leading to a bitter-tasting brittle.

Outside of that single ingredient, peanut brittle is painfully unhealthy. It contains: sugar, corn syrup, and butter, all of which are unhealthy for your body in different ways. But, peanut brittle becomes terrible for your teeth once all of those ingredients are combined into the final product.

Can you overcook peanut brittle? ›

Use a candy thermometer!

If you overcook the brittle, it could be bitter or burnt. If you undercook it, the brittle won't properly set and the end result will be sticky.

The water is there in the first place to help prevent sugar crystals. Steam from the boiling water washes down the sides of the covered pot as the sugar cooks and takes with it, down into the boiling sugar, any crystals that form or are thrown onto the sides of the pot.

Just as in homemade syrup or caramel corn, baking soda causes a unique chemical reaction (basically a lot of rising foam) that is crucial in creating the right texture in peanut brittle. If you make it without baking soda but you will notice the brittle is a bit harder to bite through.

In China, it is used to sweeten chrysanthemum tea, as well as Cantonese dessert soups and the liquor baijiu. Many households have rock candy available to marinate meats, add to stir fry, and to prepare food such as yao shan.

I also stick them on sandwiches, nachos, burritos, tacos, and anything that needs a bit of added oomph. If you're planning on taking an appetizer to a party, grab some cream cheese and chips and serve these candied jalapenos on top of the cream cheese for a sweet and spicy dip.

Smoky Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapeños)

Spicy. Smoky. Cowboy Candy is eaten straight out of the jar, on crackers or bagels with cream cheese, on salads, on meat dishes... basically, you find any excuse to eat these!

What is Cowboy Candy? Cowboy candied is simply another name for candied jalapeños – jalapeño slices cooked in a sugary syrup for a delightfully sweet and spicy treat. Cowboy candy is a condiment that can be added to so many dishes, from tacos and nachos to baked beans and salads.