IS THE BRITTLE REALLY SOFT?
Despite the name, we're often asked "is your brittle actually soft?". YES. It's light and flaky, and melts in your mouth. It is 100% guaranteed not to break your teeth!! And as you eat a bag of it, the crumbs will make the most amazing topping over ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, and more!
WHO INVENTED SOFT PEANUT BRITTLE?
We've noticed some confectioners make indirect claims to have been the ones to first make soft peanut brittle. Certainly, we're newer to the industry so we don't claim to have come up with it (even though we believe with our process that ours is superior in both taste and texture). We've had customers tell us stories about their "grandmother in Thailand" making soft peanut brittle, and several people have told us about their grandparents in Southern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle making soft brittle. So the answer is that no one really knows where it originated. We just believe ours is the best. And we think you'll agree!
But
to the question of who invented chocolate hazelnut soft brittle, bacon
peanut soft brittle, all our liqueur-based English Toffee creations, and
almost all of our specialty chocolates? WE DID.
Many long hours and painstaking trial-and-error with ingredients and
cooking chemical reactions and processes...but these fantastic
delicacies are Robinson Soft Brittle original recipes!
Everything we produce is in a facility that makes peanut candy. However, we are fastidious about cleaning utensils and surfaces, and nothing else is produced on peanut brittle cooking days. We also have staff with life-threatening tree nut allergies, so we are also very careful about walnuts, hazelnut oil, and other allergens.
Here's a list of our candy and potential "major" allergens:
Soft Peanut Brittle: Peanuts
Chocolate Hazelnut Soft Brittle: Dairy, hazelnut oil, soy (soy lecithin and Hazelnuts in the Nutella®)
Bacon Peanut Soft Brittle: Peanuts
Apple Brandy Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin, walnuts
Cinnamon Whisky Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin
Chocolate Hazelnut Soft Brittle: Dairy, hazelnut oil, soy (soy lecithin and Hazelnuts in the Nutella®)
Bacon Peanut Soft Brittle: Peanuts
Apple Brandy Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin, walnuts
Cinnamon Whisky Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin
Nutty Irishman Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin, almonds, hazelnut oil
White Russian Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin
Tennessee Whiskey Toffee: Dairy, soy lecithin
S'Mores Bark: Gluten, dairy, soy lecithin
Salted Caramel Bark: Dairy & soy lecithin
Peppermint Bark: Dairy & soy lecithin
Hazelnut Espresso Bark: Dairy, hazelnut oil, soy lecithin
Caramel Macchiato Bark: Dairy & soy lecithin
Mexican Hot Chocolate Bark: Dairy & soy lecithin
Java 72 Dark: No major allergens
Mexican Hot Chocolate Bark: Dairy & soy lecithin
Java 72 Dark: No major allergens
HOW DO I STORE SOFT PEANUT BRITTLE, BARK, OR TOFFEE?
It is
also heat-stable (a bag of it sitting in our black SUV during a 95
degree summer day didn't melt...but it DID make our car smell absolutely
delicious!). In all seriousness...sitting in a hot car WILL make it
get a bit softer, and as it gets softer it will become more "candy bar"
chewy than "light and flaky"...but the taste quality will not change one
bit.
In
fact, soft peanut soft brittle is considered non-perishable and can be
shipped internationally (we provide an affidavit to this effect for
customs on international shipments). We have shipped so far to Canada
and the EU, and with the customs declaration we provide it just sails
through customs without delay!
Store
our soft brittle or bacon peanut soft brittle in a closed bag (sealed
as tightly as possible) in a dry place. For extended storage use a
sealed/zip-loc bag for best freshness. Avoid high-humidity storage
conditions (no refrigeration or sitting out in front of a room AC) as
flaky sugar candy will become more dense (and becomes chewy) as it
absorbs moisture from the air.
Chocolate-Hazelnut
soft brittle, because it has chocolate and dairy, should be stored in
airtight container in cool, dry place. Again, avoid humidity.
Keep
all chocolates in a cool, dry place at 60–65 degrees if possible. You
can refrigerate, but it's important to be extra certain it's tightly
wrapped in an air-tight container as chocolate absorbs odor and moisture
from the air. We'd recommend covering in cling-wrap and then inside a
HIGH QUALITY zip-lock type bag, pushing as much air out of the bag as
possible.
Not following these storage conditions will cause chocolate to "bloom," or develop a light-colored powdery surface on the chocolate, caused by beta crystals in the cocoa butter rising to the surface. When this happens, the chocolate is still safe to eat, but the texture may suffer. To prevent bloom, make sure the chocolate doesn't get too warm or experience extreme fluctuations in temperature.
Not following these storage conditions will cause chocolate to "bloom," or develop a light-colored powdery surface on the chocolate, caused by beta crystals in the cocoa butter rising to the surface. When this happens, the chocolate is still safe to eat, but the texture may suffer. To prevent bloom, make sure the chocolate doesn't get too warm or experience extreme fluctuations in temperature.
SHELF LIFE
Soft Peanut Brittle: If stored as advised above, 6-8 months
Chocolate Hazelnut Soft Brittle: As above, 4-6 months
Bacon Peanut Soft Brittle: Around 2 months
Chocolate Bark: As above, up to a year.
Toffee: As above, around 3-4 months
Chocolate Hazelnut Soft Brittle: As above, 4-6 months
Bacon Peanut Soft Brittle: Around 2 months
Chocolate Bark: As above, up to a year.
Toffee: As above, around 3-4 months
ENGLISH TOFFEE vs. AMERICAN TOFFEE (aka "buttercrunch")
English Toffee dates back to the early 1800's. It consists of brown
sugar and butter (occasionally with added rum) in a caramelized form.
"American
Toffee" is made with granulated white sugar (Almond Roca, Heath Candy
Bar, and the majority of toffee you will find in the USA). This toffee,
rolled in chocolate and nuts is actually called "butter crunch"...an
American invention by English immigrant William Loft made in New York
City in 1860. In fact, if you look at Almond Roca's packaging, they even
refer to their candy as "The original buttercrunch toffee", not
"English Toffee.
Interesting tidbit: Loft's company became the world's
largest maker and seller of candy by the 1920's, even owning the
Pepsi-Cola Corporation at one point before several decades of decline
resulted in their final demise in the 1990's.
Traditional English Toffee (as
we use in the base layer of our toffee creations) does not usually have
nuts mixed in, as part of the delight of a true brown sugar and butter toffee
is the smoothness of the texture. It should neither be hard to bite
into, nor should it ever be grainy. It may be softer and chewier side (as
you'll find with several fine British imported brands) or have a lightly
crunchy texture (like ours) that melts in your mouth. It will often be
topped with chocolate or nuts.
The importance of honoring tradition
Our family lineage dates back to John Robinson, the
Cambridge-educated pastor of a country church in Scrooby, England (held
in Scrooby Manor, the home of William Brewster). Robinson and Brewster
led the pilgrims out of England in 1608 to Leiden, Holland, and in 1620
put 35 members of their congregation on the Mayflower to sail to
America. In fact, the Robinson-Scrooby Compact of 1606 was the model for
the Mayflower Compact of 1620, which became the foundation of
democratic principles in the United States, the Declaration of
Independence, and the US Constitution.
Going back even further, our lineage includes a knight who
rode in battle with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
With
a nod to our heritage, we wanted to remain
true to the traditional form of this delightful delicacy. We believe
you'll agree that our English Toffee is simply amazing...like nothing
you've ever had before.
