Sugar Free Peanut Brittle

spyrosmom

spyrosmom

Cathlete
My dad is diabetic, which he hasn't controlled for a long, long time, but is finally starting to pay attention to what he does. Thank goodness. Obviously it is Christmas time, which means I am making candy. Most of it goes to my and DH's jobs, and I make an extra couple batches of peanut brittle for the in laws and my dad. Dad is not supposed it be eating it - its basically boiled sugar w/ nuts. I've searched and Googled and Googled and searched and cannot find a homemade recipe for sugar free peanut brittle. You can buy it already made, but I can't find a recipe. I know he likes the current recipe I use, which is why I wanted to make it at home. Anybody have a recipe? I also wonder if its even possible in a home kitchen. I was also going to send his wife an email to see if she would beat me with a stick if I gave him just a bit of the regular stuff, he loves it so. But I hate to get him off course. Recently he is really trying to get it together. I'd buy him some of the store bought stuff, but its just not the same thoughtfulness as homemade.

Nan
 
Thanks!!! The splenda one still has quite a bit of sugar in it. Will make some calls to the health food places in town tomorrow to see if they carry malitol. I might be running short on time to order it. I couldn't find anything when I looked. Seems your Google goes places mine doesn't :rolleyes:

Nan
 
Definitely beware the sugar alcohols. Maltitol and sorbitol are the worst IMHO for the laxative effect. If he can just have a SMALL piece, he should be OK. if he tends to eat most of the batch, he'd best stay close to home. And don't assume it's just 'gas'. Probably TMI, but it can be an important warning if you're not sure how the sugar alcohols affect you. Not everyone digests these the same way.

I have found that erythritol has a lesser impact on me. Mostly some gas and minor bloating. Nothing like maltitol or sorbitol.

btw, you might note that labels are now required to note the sugar alcohol content. I've found that < 5 is an OK amount for me. But some candy has in the 20's :eek:
 
Since the sugar is the "brittle" part, any recipe you use will require something sugar free with the substance and sweetness of sugar, which will be bad news in those kinds of quantities. I think sugar replacements are fine for sweetening beverages and such, but when the sugar gives the food its substance, as in sugar-free ice cream, it can get nasty unless you eat just a small amount. Sorbitol and the like in large quantities are going to make you feel sick, because the body can't really digest them properly. I'm waiting patiently for Arctic Zero ice cream to hit the market. It's sugar free and has no side effects at all. The sweetener is some sort of whey/sucralose product.
 
nancy324 said:
Since the sugar is the "brittle" part, any recipe you use will require something sugar free with the substance and sweetness of sugar, which will be bad news in those kinds of quantities. I think sugar replacements are fine for sweetening beverages and such, but when the sugar gives the food its substance, as in sugar-free ice cream, it can get nasty unless you eat just a small amount. Sorbitol and the like in large quantities are going to make you feel sick, because the body can't really digest them properly. I'm waiting patiently for Arctic Zero ice cream to hit the market. It's sugar free and has no side effects at all. The sweetener is some sort of whey/sucralose product.
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See that's what I was thinking. Its the sugar that boils then gets hard. I don't think its really something that can be recreated at home. I think it needs to come from a science lab, in which case - yuck! Its not food. The Malitol recipe looked promising, but my dad's not one to eat in nibbly bits and I don't want to give him the belly monkeys for Christmas.

Nan
 
You could try substituting the sugar with Yacon syrup. It's an excellent sweetener for diabetics, because the sweetness is from inulin, which the body doesn't digest, but which serves as an excellent prebiotic (food for probiotics: the healthy bacteria in our intestines). It's a bit pricey, but since it's for a special occasion, it might be worth it. It does have a bit of a molasses-like flavor (actually more like sorgum, but most people have never had that so don't know what it tastes like!).

Also, it's a natural substance, not like all of those -itol sugar alcohols.
 
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