culinary experiments and explorations

When boiling up the sugar and rendering it down, really, you DO need to get substantially past the it-looks-like-slowly-boiling-bubble-wrap stage before prepping. Also, do not place the peanuts into the mix while still on the burner; it cools the mix down sufficiently as to degrade final viscosity. Finally, when allowing said not-quite-brittle mix to cool, do not attempt to break pieces out of the pan early, as it is rather of caramel-like consistency and, once placed in an airtight container, will promptly glom into one mega-node of hard candy.

Which isn't in itself bad, it just makes it difficult to break off a nice small piece. Instead you will find yourself prying and stabbing and sawing away at the peanut-flavored berg, trying desperately to obtain just one small piece.

This often results in mess.

Just so you know. *slightly mad grin*