Vegan peanut brittle

Vegan peanut brittle

vegan peanut brittle shards

Long time no hear! I’m so happy to be back up and running and to be able to bring you a new recipe. The reason for my absence was twofold. Firstly, we went away to the Pembrokeshire coast for a few days during the week and it was so lovely. We really lucked out and had amazing weather for the entire trip. We managed to do two (10km and 15km) hikes over the cliffs on two consecutive days and while the terrain was at times challenging – the climbs were way steeper than what we anticipated – the views were stunning and we had a great time. We treated ourselves to seaside chips and beer in the sunshine on the last day and vowed to come back sometime later this year.

On Sunday, I had my first Covid vaccination and while I felt absolutely fine until midnight that day, things did not look that good the following morning. I woke up feeling really unwell and spent the next 2 days sleeping as much as I could as I was unable to do anything else, not even read. I had a splitting headache, chills and felt extremely nauseous and ended up being sick.

Wednesday and Thursday were considerably better, but I was still really weak, my brain was foggy and I got tired really easily, doing even the simplest things. I certainly had more of a severe reaction than what the NHS described as ‘feeling a little unwell’ and I wish I had known that it may feel this bad. I asked the person injecting me if I should expect a more intense reaction due to the fact that I once had Covid, but she assured me that it doesn’t really matter. Well, apparently it does. I am hoping the booster will be a little easier on me.

So anyway, I feel almost 100% again and so I’m back with a new recipe. I went for something easy as I wasn’t quite sure how much energy I was going to have on the shooting day. If you are a lover of peanuts and chocolate and all things crunchy, you’ll love this recipe. I am not sure what to call it. As opposed to a brittle, I did not use any corn syrup or white sugar or a thermometer and made the entire thing in the oven so my ‘brittle’ is not only much more rustic than the traditional candy, it is also much simpler to make.

It marries some of my favourite flavour and texture contrasts. Sweet maple syrup gets a relief with the savoury flavour of peanuts, bitter-sweet chocolate and a hefty pinch of flaky salt. The whole thing is crunchy and moreish and can be cut up as small as you like if you are a powerhouse of restraint – alas, I’m not!! It makes a perfect ‘amuse-bouche’ (don’t you love that succinct to-the-pointness of that French phrase) when you find yourself scouring your kitchen in search of something satisfying to go with your afternoon coffee even though, earlier on, you didn’t even feel like it’s that kind of day. Or is it just me? Anyway, enjoy!

vegan peanut brittle key ingredients

vegan peanut brittle making

vegan peanut brittle forming

vegan peanut brittle chocolate

vegan peanut brittle side down

vegan peanut brittle tray

vegan peanut brittle stacked

serves
6-8
PREP
20 min
COOKING
20 min
serves
6-8
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
20 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 290 g / 2 cups raw peanuts (or almonds)
  • 80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
  • 30 g / 2 tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 150 g / 5¼ oz vegan dark chocolate
  • flaky sea salt
METHOD
  1. Preheat the oven to 170° C / 340° F (no fan).
  2. Roast the peanuts on a large baking tray until lightly golden, for about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Allow the nuts to cool down, then chop them roughly, leaving some peanuts whole and chopping some of them quite finely. You want a mixture of textures so that smaller pieces can fill the gaps between the larger ones.
  4. Mix maple syrup, peanut butter and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
  5. Mix in chopped peanuts, stirring until well coated.
  6. Line a large baking tray with a piece of greaseproof baking paper. Spread the peanut butter mixture thinly ensuring there are no gaps and all the nuts are in a single layer. Just as a rough guide, my shape was an almost circle, approximately 27 cm / 10½” in diameter.
  7. Bake in a 170° C / 340° F oven for about 10 minutes (see photos for after baking texture). Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down completely.
  8. Melt chocolate over a double boiler / bain marie. Spread melted chocolate with the back of a spoon or pastry brush. Allow the chocolate to set (or almost set) and then sprinkle with salt. Break or cut the sweet up into pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

NOTES

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
299
15%
sugars
15 g
17%
fats
21 g
30%
saturates
4 g
19%
proteins
10 g
21%
carbs
21 g
8%
*per serving
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5.0
2 reviews, 14 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Jackie:
Could you do this without the chocolate coat or would it not stick as well?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Jackie,
    Sure, you could. Yes, chocolate does add a bit more sturdiness, but they will be fine without it too. Perhaps use a little less nuts (250 g should do it) to ensure there is extra moisture to bind them all well. Hope this helps! x Ania
Scot:
Just wanted to confirm that it is 'baking powder' and not 'baking soda' that is used in this recipe. I am familiar with using baking soda in making brittle, but not the baking powder. Cant wait to try this recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Scot,
    Yes, that's right! Hope you'll enjoy my take on this classic. x Ania
Paola:
Hey I was wanting to make this, but I was wondering whether the brittle with go soft if it’s not in the fridge or freezer, and if not will it keep well in room temperature for a long time? Tried so many of your recipes and it is always a safe and incredibly delicious option
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Paola,
    I'll be honest, I have not managed to keep it around for that long cos both me and my husband have a bit of a sweet tooth (I know, what a surprise), but from my experience fridge does introduce a bit of moisture into the equation so I would say that an air-tight lunch box on the kitchen counter (away from heat and moisture) is a better bet. Hope that helps and thank you for your kind words about my work - really lovely to hear! x Ania
Rebecca:
Sooo simple, quick, and delicious! My whole family loved these. I actually cheated and bought roasted nuts (that’s all my store had) so I skipped the first step and they still turned out great.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Rebecca! I'm delighted to hear that you and your family enjoyed this treat and thank you for coming back to review - I appreciate it. x Ania
Mrs M:
I made this yesterday and all I can say is YUM! This is sooo delicious and my new favourite treat and 7yr old daughter liked it too. I used rice malt syrup instead of maple to make it less sweet and 70% dark chocolate. The raw peanuts I used still had skins, however these were easily removed after roasting them in the oven (which my daughter happily helped me with.) I also didn't sprinkle the salt on at the end as I don't like salty chocolate. Husband & son thought it wasn't sweet enough but I will definitely be making this again (for the girls!)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, I'm really glad that you and your daughter enjoyed these and had a chance to bond over shelling peanuts :) Thank you for letting me know that they were a hit with you and that you are planning to make them again - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Rachel Temple:
Do you think this would be good with chopped brazil nuts?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure, I don't see why not, just make sure to chop them up small. x Ania
Sue:
glad you are feeling better Ania. I had a rough reaction as well, which made me even more thankful I never got covid!! So glad to hear you got your first vacc. Thanks for the recipe; I love the ingredients.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sue,
    Thank you and I'm sorry it made your feel rough too. It's been over a week now and I'm still feeling inexplicable fatigue - hoping it will go away soon. Hope you are back to your normal self. x Ania
Ramya:
will be making this soon i never had peanut brittle before perfect for my office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
    Ania
    Ania:
    thanks, hope you'll enjoy it. x Ania
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