Caramel peanuts (garrapiñada de maní)

You will always smell the distinctive sweet smoke of garrapiñada de maní in parks, plazas, on street corners or outside zoos and cinemas.

Credit: Rachel Tolosa Paz

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 110 g (4 oz/½ cup) sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 160 g (5½ oz/1 cup) raw peanuts

Instructions

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

2. Combine the sugar, vanilla and 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) water in a frying pan. Cook over medium–high heat until the liquid boils and becomes a clear syrup. Stir through the peanuts and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. At this stage, the liquid in the pan will begin to caramelise and thickly coat the nuts. Stir constantly until the liquid evaporates and crystallises, forming golden, sugary clumps. When the peanuts are coated in the sugar crystals, remove from the heat and tip onto the prepared tray, carefully spreading the peanuts out in an even layer.

3. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for 2–3 days.

Recipe from The Food of Argentina by Ross Dobson and Rachel Tolosa Paz, Smith Street Books, RRP $44.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.