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Chewy Peanut Candy, Chinese Style (2009-06-06)

Chinese peanut candy is my absolute favorite candy in the whole world, way higher than Ferrero Rocher which is a beloved chocolate of mine.  I love both the brittle-like hard peanut candy as well as the chewy type.  Today, I'll share this recipe of the chewy kind which I've adapted from the one I got on a Japanese site many months ago.  I would've given you the link here except that I've no idea how to retrieve it.

This chewy peanut candy is very easy to make and unlike the brittle kind, you don't need a candy thermometer making it.  Of course you can substitute peanuts with hazelnut or almonds or walnuts etc.  The coconut I use in the recipe is also optional, you can omit it or replace it with toasted sesame seeds.  Once you've got the sugar ratio correct, it's entirely up to you to vary the nuts in the candy.

Ingredients
  1. Maltose (either brown or white) 80gm
  2. Raw sugar 40gm
  3. Water 30gm
  4. Roasted peanuts 120 gm crushed with a rolling pin
  5. Toasted dessicated coconut 50gm (optional)
  6. Vegetable oil 1/2 tsp
  7. Cornstarch 1/2 tsp mixed with 1/2 tsp water
Steps:
  1. Bring the sugars and water to a boil till the sugars are dissolved.
  2. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir continuously and boil on low heat for a minute.
  3. Turn off heat, quickly stir in the nuts, coconut and oil.
  4. Dump the whole thing on to a silicon or baking paper, cover with another piece and smooth out to about 1/2 cm or 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin.  Let it cool covered because you won't be able to peel off the paper without the candy sticking to it when it's still warm.
  5. Cut the candy to desired pieces, served chilled.
Hint:
  1. The colder the candy, the chewier it becomes.  At room temperature, it softens a fair bit and is LESS SATISFYINGLY CHEWY.
  2. You can roast raw peanuts in a 180C/350F oven for 11-13 minutes. Watch closely toward the end as they can be beautifully brown in one minute and burnt in another, and they do continue to brown after they come out of the oven.
  3. Almost all candy recipes call for salt, but I don't see a taste difference without it (after trying both version), so I omit it in mine.  I can do without the extra sodium.
  4. This recipe is pretty flexible.  If the maltose gets too hard to scoop to the exact amount, getting a few grams off won't hurt the result.  Also, the longer the syrup boils, the chewier the candy becomes, so when you make this for the first time and things get into a panic and the syrup boils for too long, relax, the candy will still be deliciously edible.
  5. Store the candy in a single layer in the fridge, the pieces tend to clump if stacked together.  Freeze uneaten portions for later enjoyment.


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