Mixed nut brittle

Love this recipe! Courtesy of Dani.

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Ingredients:

• Two cups of sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp baking powder [edited to add: next time I'm going to try 2 teaspoonsful]
• 1 3/4 cups salted peanuts or mixed nuts
  That's about 1/3 of this container:
  
  
  

Instructions:

1. Coat the nuts with the baking powder.
   
   
2. Melt the sugar over medium heat in a big, heavy-duty saucepan. Sugar will first clump then liquefy. Stir frequently using a metal spoon.
   
   a) Sugar is starting to clump:
   
   
   b) Clumping continues:
   
   
   c) Very clumpy:
   
   
   d) Starting to liquify:
   
   
   e) Less solid, more liquid:
   
   
   f) Almost done, don't let it burn:
   
   
   
3. When the sugar is liquefied, stir in the nuts. Stir until all nuts are coated.
4. Turn out onto a parchment paper covered pan and spread until brittle is approx 2 cm thick. Cool for 15 minutes or more, then break into large chunks and enjoy!

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Notes:

• the observant of you will notice that the photo for step 2c) showed a plastic spoon and 2d) shows a photo with a metal spoon
• note to the wise, if it's hot enough to melt sugar, it's hot enough to melt a plastic spoon!
  
  
  
  (Yes, this means that we had to dump the first batch and clean out the pot before we could start again with a metal spoon!)

Holiday Peppermint Bark

Love, love, love this recipe! Everyone who's tried it loves it too!



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Adapted from:
http://www.parenthacks.com/2006/12/holiday_pepperm.html
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1710,149175-243199,00.html and
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1613,155169-227194,00.html

Equipment:

• cookie tray and no-stick spray
• spatula
• waxed paper
• something to chop up chocolate if not using chips
• something to crush peppermint

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. white chocolate (chopped or use white chocolate chips)
• 1 c. peppermint crunch (you can also use crunched peppermints or candycanes)

Instructions:

• Spray a large cookie tray with non-stick spray and then line it with a piece of wax paper.
• Take several large candy canes or a bag of peppermint candies and crush them into small pieces. (How much peppermint flavor you like should determine how many you chop up.)
• On the stove, melt two bags of white chocolate chips at a low temperature. (Recommend using a double-boiler.)(Can also be melted in the microwave.)
• When melted, add most of the crushed peppermint and stir it in.
• Pour the mixture onto the cookie tray and use spatula to spread over the tray until flat and even.
• Sprinkle the remaining peppermint pieces on top, pressing them in with a spatula.
• Let it cool. (Some recommend cooling in the freezer for about 3 minutes.)
• Peel off wax paper and break into pieces.

Store in air-tight container. (Candy-cane pieces may absorb mositure otherwise.)