Recipe- My Personal Favorite Peanut Chikki

Peanut Chikki is the Indian version of Peanut Brittle. It’s made with peanuts, jaggery and nothing else really. It’s a staple in Indian homes during winters and one of my personal favorite.

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts 165 grams
3/4 cup powdered jaggery 100 grams
1/2 tablespoon ghee
1 tablespoon water

Method

* Roast peanuts for 5-6 minutes on medium-low flame till crunchy and there's no raw smell. Stir continuously so that the peanuts get roasted uniformly.

* Once roasted, transfer the peanuts to a bowl and let them cool down a bit. Once easy to handle, remove the skin by simply crushing the peanuts between your palms. Skin would come off easily. Remove all the skin and keep the peanuts ready to go.

* Place jaggery powder, ghee and water in a pan. Switch on the heat on low-medium.

* The jaggery will melt and then start bubbling away. After few minutes, it would reach hard ball stage, which you can check in 2 ways- by using candy thermometer. Hard ball stage is 250-265 F degrees. I let the syrup reach 265 F before adding the peanuts OR if you don't have a thermometer - drop some syrup in a bowl of cold water. It will sink to the bottom and solidify. This is the right stage.

* Once the jaggery syrup reaches the hard ball stage, add the roasted peanuts to the pan and mix well till peanuts are well coated with the syrup.

* Transfer mixture to a parchment paper. You may also a plate/baking pan which has been greased well. I just prefer rolling this between two sheets of parchment paper, makes it so easy. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll the mixture to 1/4 inch thickness.

* Mark lines with a knife so that its easier to cut into pieces once its set. Let the chikki cool completely.

* Once completely cool, break peanut chikki into pieces and enjoy. The chikki will get crispier as it cools down. Store in an airtight container.