Children in Uganda love sweet things as much as children all over the world even though life is often much harder for them than it should be and many of them take on the responsibilities of adulthood at a very early age. Peanuts are plentiful and so the resourceful parents use what little they have to provide treats for their children. The peanuts are roasted and then crushed or ground into a coarse meal to make this delicious sweet. So,  for those of you that would like to give the big corporations a bit of competition – here’s a very simple recipe that can be adapted to your own taste and turned into truly addictive candies.

Ingredients

• 500 g  peeled, roasted peanuts, crushed or coarsely ground
• 625 ml sugar
• 1 huge lemon, juice and grated zest

Method

• Heat sugar as you would to make a crème caramel and as soon as it begins to turn brown, add the ground peanuts and the lemon zest, stirring briskly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
• Add the lemon juice and stir like mad.
• As soon as everything is well incorporated, pour the mixture onto a well greased, heat resistant tray to a thickness of aobut ½ cm and allow to cool.
• As soon as it’s cool, cut into squares.