Whole-Food Peanut Brittle. In July.

The post I originally intended to write yesterday involved peanuts. And brittle. Because on Saturday night, I got an incredible craving for peanut brittle - and nothing else would suffice.

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I'll blame it on my extra estrogen.

And my giant belly that currently is housing that wee little munchkin.

I don't consider myself a typical pregnant woman - I rarely, if ever, have cravings. But when they come...they come with a fury. And the only way to scratch that itch is to just give in and eat it.

That being said, I didn't want to overload my poor baby with the refined sugar and corn syrup that most peanut brittles are comprised off - so, I went a huntin' on the internet and lo-and-behold, a peanut brittle with no refined sweeteners or corn syrup.

Don't fool yourselves. This is no health food. But as far as guilty pleasures, at least it's less of a guilt and just as much of a pleasure.

Just consider it a treat.

And by the way...who the heck craves Christmas candy in July anyway?!

Whole-Food Peanut Brittle
You will need:
 - 1 cup of rapadura/sucanant/or whole cane sugar
 - 1/4 cup of honey
 - 1/4 cup of water
 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil
 - 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
 - 1 cup of raw or roasted peanuts (I buy mine raw and toast them myself)
 - Teeny pinch of salt
 - 1 teaspoon baking soda

Step One: Set out a large cookie sheet and grease it liberally with butter. Set aside.

Step Two: In a large saucepan, combine the rapadura, honey, and water until dissolved. Bring to a boil and then add in the coconut oil and vanilla extract. Continually to slowly boil, stirring constantly, until the candy mixture reaches 280 degrees on a thermometer.

Step Three: Once it's reached 280 degrees, add in the peanuts and the salt. Stir constantly - don't let it burn now! Continue to boil and bring the mixture up to 300 degrees.

Step Four: Work very quickly now: once the mixture reaches 300 degrees (the hard crack stage), remove the pan from the heat and add in the baking soda. Stir, stir, stir super quickly and then dump the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet. Use a buttered spatula to help smooth out the candy or simply shake the pan bake and forth vigorously so that the mixture spreads.

Step Five: Allow to cool. Break into pieces.

If you do choose to make peanut brittle in July when it's 3,239 degrees outside, such as I, you may need to store your peanut brittle in the refrigerator to keep it from getting chewy from all the humidity and heat.

I apologize for the lack of 'during' or 'how-to' pictures. But it was dark when I decided to make this. Girlfriend can't choose when the cravings hit, man.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I am salivating for more of this delicious (and semi-more-healthy) treat. Therefore, I must leave my current desk and wander into the kitchen to nibble on a bit.

Make some. Enjoy. Blame it on your uterus. The end.

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.