Gifts for co-workers part I

I usually make something sweet+homemade for my friends at school; it's easier than trying to buy gifts for everyone (there are seven of us in the lab, including my boss). Plus I get depressed about the commercialism that seems to come along with Xmas. In my dreams I make all of my presents, and ask for only handmade gifts in return. But that's a whole other post, isn't it?

Anyway. First up was salty peanut toffee. I like this one because you end up making quite a bit, and it keeps at RT for two weeks.

It was easy enough to make, and having a candy thermometer really helped - I think without it my inclination would be to pull the caramel off the stove before it's done (300 F).

First I melted an appalling amount of butter with sugar and a bit of salt:


As it starts to bubble, the color deepens and the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pot:

I mixed in 2C of salted peanuts (the recipe calls for 4) and poured everything into a buttered pan:

The finished product:

If I make this again I think I'll try it with cashews and a little salt on top.

Next up: homemade marshmallows.

p.s. went to see Atonement last night. I think it might be the best adaptation of a novel that I've ever seen - they got the tone of the opening chapters exactly right, the casting was perfect and the cinematography was beautiful. I was even able to ignore Keira Knightly's skeletal frame for the most part. A must see if you haven't already! Wish I could say the same for The Golden Compass...