#1143 - Holiday Candy Peanuts

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 cups raw peanuts (if you buy the peanuts in the shell, you will need to shell them and take the brown skins off, then measure until you have 4 cups of raw peanuts)
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

In a Dutch oven over medium heat add water, white sugar and raw peanuts--cook and stir (you MUST stir continuously or they will burn). Keep cooking and stirring until the peanuts are a medium brown color (some people like them dark brown--it's up to you)--it takes about 12-15 minutes. When they are done to your taste, add salt and cinnamon--stir well. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat--add vanilla and stir WELL. Spread the mixture in a single layer on several greased cookie sheets. Cool completely, then use the handle end of a table knife to break them into smaller chunks/clusters.