Recipes from Ollie J -- Pecan Brittle

Or in this case:

Peanut Brittle

2 cups pecans, chopped
OR 1 3/4 cup peanuts [shelled, husked, rough chop]
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup (light or dark)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

Cook pecans (or peanuts), sugar, syrup, vanilla, and water 280 degrees F.*
Stir constantly.
Remove from heat.
Add 1 tspn soda and stir well.
Quickly Pour on greased baking sheet and spread as evenly as possible.
Cool well -- overnight or so.
Break into pieces.
(I {author of recipe} try to thin the brittle by sliding a case {?} knife under candy and pulling it out in all directions).

*Or, since I didn't have a candy thermometer, and I refuse to pay $15 or more for something I'll use only three times a year, as close to the "soft crack stage" of candy cooking as outlined in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

I don't know if it was because I hadn't brought it up to the right temperature, or because it was slightly cold and damp the two days I let this sit out and set up, but this recipe for brittle is, um, how to explain ... chewy and sticky at the end. It cracked, but it's still chewy. Stick to your fillings and pull them out and go to the dentist chewy. Definitely, NOT as brittle as the other recipe I've tried out. Maybe I will have to invest in the candy thermometer after all.