Good Salt

I'm not exactly a fan of Rachel Ray. 

Years ago I ordered her magazine, a few lime green utensils and one of my favorite kitchen items, my scrap bowl.  But the recipes in the magazine. Meh. They never really interested me. Her recipes are too easy, to processed.  In a pinch they are great I'd imagine.  But really, NOT for me. I'm a Martha girl, all the way (Although I'd stay away from the majority of her recipes too - Trust me).

There was however one recipe I had to try and it turned out to be absolutely amazing. Caramelized Matzo crackers with peanut butter and chocolate, all topped with chunky bits of salt.  You really can't go wrong.  

Brittle is one of those things; is it a candy?  Either way it's impressive.  It's Rachel Ray easy. And it's frickin delicious.  

Don't worry about fancy ingredients....good-ole Skippy peanut butter is best.   The one thing you'll want to splurge on is the salt.  GOOD SALT.  French gray, Himalayan or my favorite in this instance: Maldon! Chunky little pyramids that crunch in between your teeth, exploding all that salty-goodness.  All chocolate and peanut butter deserves Maldon.  Find it. Buy it. Put it on this brittle. And thank me in the back of your mind while you're in heaven.     

Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter Brittle

4 unsalted Matzo crackers
2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Coarse Salt (the good stuff)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, making sure to cover the bottom and sides completely. Place a single layer of matzo crackers on the sheet. Break the pices of matzo to cover the bottom of the pan completely. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and stop stiring. Allow the mixture to boil, undisterbed until it reaches 255F on a candy thermometer, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 1 minute, then add the vanilla and stir to combine. Quickly pour the hot mixture over the matzo and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Bake this for 8 minutes in the oven.

Remove the brittle from the oven and sprinkle it with the chocolate chips. Bake again for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, and using the spatula spread the chocolate evenly around. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt the peanut butter until smooth. Pour the peanut butter over the chocolate and using the spatula swirl the chocolate and peanut butter together. Sprinkle on the salt.

Let the brittle cool for one hour on the counter, then transfer to the freezer for another 2 hours. Break it into pieces and serve.

*I like to store the brittle in the refrigerator