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1
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a 4 1/2 by 14-inch flan form in the center of the foil.
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2
With a paper towel, coat the foil and the inside of the flan form with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil.
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3
Set aside.
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4
In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, and butter.
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5
Stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the mixture comes to a boil (5 to 8 minutes).
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6
Wash down the sides of the pan two times with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
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7
Increase the heat to medium-high, place a candy thermometer in the pan, and cook the mixture until it registers 246F on the thermometer (15 to 20 minutes), stirring constantly.
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8
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla, then blend in the peanuts.
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9
Pour the mixture into the prepared flan form and spread it out rapidly with a wooden spoon.
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10
Let the caramel cool completely at room temperature (2 to 3 hours).
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11
With the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil, coat a cutting board and the blade of a large chef s knife.
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12
With the knife, loosen and remove the flan form; invert the caramel onto the cutting board, and peel the foil off the caramel.
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13
Cut the caramel into twenty-eight 1/2-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into four pieces.
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14
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper.
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15
Melt and temper the chocolate (see pages 2530).
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16
Dip a piece of the peanut caramel into the chocolate, coating it completely.
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17
With a fork or dipper, remove the caramel from the chocolate, carefully shake off the excess chocolate, and turn the piece out onto the paper.
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18
Repeat with the remaining pieces.
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19
Let the chocolate set up at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
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20
When the candies are set, place them in paper candy cups.
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21
In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the caramels will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
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22
They are best eaten at room temperature.
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23
Substitute any nuts for the peanuts.
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24
Substitute milk chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate.
