Molly MacRae: It’s my great pleasure to host Heather Weidner in the kitchen today. Boy, does she have a treat for you!
Heather Weidner: Thank you all so much for letting me stop by the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. I’m Heather Weidner, and I write where I know. All of my cozy mysteries and short stories are set in Virginia, so today I’d like to feature a fun, sweet, and salty recipe:
Virginia Peanut Brittle
Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of corn syrup
½ cup water
2 cups of roasted, salted
peanuts
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Other Supplies:
Medium Saucepan
Parchment Paper
Sheet Pan
Candy Thermometer
Directions:
Line a sheet pan with parchment
paper. (I put a layer of tin foil under it to keep the hot liquid candy from
seeping off the parchment.)
Mix peanuts, butter, baking
soda, and vanilla. Set the mixture aside.
Mix sugar and water in a
saucepan and stir well. Add the corn syrup. Use medium heat. You don’t want to
heat it too fast. Stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
Attach your thermometer to the
pot. Cook until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F. Make sure you pay
attention to the temperatures. The candy won’t harden to the expected
consistency if the sugar is not cooked at the correct temperature.
Add the peanuts and stir until
the temperature reaches 300 degrees F.
Remove the candy from the heat.
Pour the hot mixture in the
pan. Be careful. Use a knife to spread the mixture evenly.
Allow the candy to set for 30
minutes. Break the candy apart. You can store the candy, when it’s cooled, in
an airtight container.
Peanut brittle is a favorite
vacation candy in a lot of tourist spots in the Commonwealth. Readers, what is your
favorite candy or dessert from a trip or vacation?
The fourth book, Deadlines
and Valentines, in the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries launches in October.
To celebrate, I’m giving away an e-book to the first book in the series, Vintage
Trailers and Blackmailers. Giveaway open through noon Tuesday, 9/17/24.
Let's keep in touch:
To sign up for Heather’s Newsletter, please visit, http://heatherweidner.com/Contact.
Her
short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of
Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Murder by the Glass, and First
Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia
and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.
Originally
from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy
Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell
terriers.
Links:
Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner
Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@heather_mystery_writer
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003
