Loading

Peanut Brittle Recipe

Provided By
Crunchy, delicious, and easy to make, this candy treat is often associated with Christmas time, but is equally good all year.
Share this!
Facebook
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup corn syrup, preferably light
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups raw peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for pan and fingers
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Container:heavy saucepan, large baking sheet
Directions
PREP
5 mins
COOK
20 mins
READY IN
25 mins
  • Generously butter a baking sheet and set aside. Measure out the butter, baking soda, and vanilla; have them within reach.
  • Mix together in a 3-quart, heavy bottom saucepan the sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt. Stir over low heat until well blended, then raise heat to medium-high. When the mixture reaches 270 degrees F. stir in the peanuts. Boil until it reaches 300 degrees F. on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly . If working without a thermometer or cooking at high altitudes, see the TIPS below.
  • When syrup reaches 300 degrees F., remove from heat and immediately add butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir in quickly until well mixed and then pour and scrape candy onto prepared sheet. Spread it out as much as possible--it will be stiff and begin to harden quickly. It can be pulled and stretched (with buttered fingers) to make a thinner sheet, but do this very carefully, as the candy will be hot.
  • Cool on the sheet and break into pieces. Store air-tight in a waxed-paper lined container.
TIP: Bringing the brittle up to the proper temperature is critical for a successful peanut brittle. Using a candy thermometer is the best method to use to ensure you are cooking the brittle to the proper temperature. It is well worth purchasing a candy thermometer if you are going to be making candies that must reach a specific temperature.
If you don't have a candy thermometer, have a bowl of ice water near the stove. When the boiling syrup begins to turn golden brown drop a small amount, about 1/2 teaspoon, into the cold water. When the syrup immediately hardens into a brittle string or ball, it is done.
High Altitudes: If cooking the brittle at higher altitudes reduce the recommended temperature of 300 degrees by 2 degrees per thousand feet. EXAMPLE: if you're are at 5,000 feet subtract 10 degrees off 300 degrees and remove mixture from heat when temperature reaches 290 degrees F.
Similar Recipes
Microwaveable Peanut Brittle
butter
sugar
dry roasted peanuts
light corn syrup
baking soda
Cashew Crickle Candy
baking soda
salted cashews
water
vanilla extract
corn syrup
Peppermint Brittle
white almond bark
Loading

Peanut Brittle Recipe Reviews

peanut brittle

:
Average of 3.91 out of 5 stars
Rating of 3.5 out of 5.0 stars
Ratings (11)
Reviews (17)
Comments (0)
SoWhatIfItsBurnt User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I think they have this recipe changed for the better. After the changes I tried this recipe and it turned out better than expected. I haven't made peanut brittle very often but after reading the reviews and seeing the changes in the recipe, I gave it a try. It turned out good!"
GrannyGrunt User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I made this brittle as indicated by the recipe except I used dry roasted peanuts and added them after the brittle was at 300 degrees F. I thought it turned out pretty good and I can't keep my family out of it so it must be OK."
CatLady User
Rating of 4 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"This recipe turned out pretty good. It was not quite as crunchy as I thought it should be but not bad. I maybe should have cooked it just a touch longer. Great taste."
sweet_lover User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Great recipe! I also used unsalted dry roasted peanuts because I couldn't find the raw peanuts. I added them at the end when I added the butter, soda, and vanilla."
SelfDeclaredFoodie User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I made this peanut brittle recipe last night and had pretty good luck. It was the first time I have made peanut brittle but I read all the reviews before I started. I ended up following the recipe except I added unsalted dry roasted peanuts after it reached 300 degrees as suggested by "VampMorlock". I only made a single batch so I didn't have any problem spreading it out. I just used my large Pampered Chef spatula to press it out. I will definitely try this recipe again."
RecipeTips.com User
Reviewed By
"In response to some user's comments in regard to having problems with this recipe, we have made some minor changes after doing some research. We have changed the recipe to add the peanuts at a different time and have indicated that the brittle should be stirred while boiling to 300 degrees. We hope this helps with some of the problems that have occurred and will result in great peanut brittle."
TEMILY!
Reviewed By
"THOSE WORDS- "WITHOUT STIRRING"- DETERMINES THE OUTCOME OF THE BRITTLE. OURS BURNT ON THE FIRST TRY! So thank you for ruining our first peanut brittle."
Culbertson_00
Reviewed By
"Hi, Just a few helpful hint to the people that is having trouble making peanut brittle and other home made candy. If it is not crounchy and brittle and is soft like and sticks to your teeth, It may be 3 things. 1st I was always told by my mother never make candy on a rainy day. It will not harden properly and over the years I have found that to be true. But being the person that never does what I am told. I soon found out if I need to make candy on a rainy day I can cook it about a min. longer and it comes out fine. 2nd- brittle will not harden properly if the baking soda has been setting open for a long period of time It will loose its stringth. 3rd- the brittle was not cooked long enought. Always make sure that it will string a thread. That is the best way to know if it is done. I hope this will help you."
jillc
Rating of 2 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"The peanuts burnt. I made it again adding the peanuts at 200 degrees and stirring and it worked fine"
CAROLE
Reviewed By
"this is good"
57stevo
Rating of 4 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I just made this recipe, it turned out as advertised, however i didn't have a candy thermometer but another recipe had said to boil water/sugar/corn syrup until it dissolved and could spin a thread then add raw peanuts cook slowly until it turns golden brown then add your butter/baking soda/vanilla spread onto buttered cookie sheet for first time brittle maker it worked for me!"
VampMorlock
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I tried this Recipe and it turned out great. a nice creamy colour and very crunchy. Now I did alter it a bit, I can never find raw peanuts so i bought dry roasted unsalted ones, since they were already cooked there was no need to add them at the start. so I waited till the the magic 300 temp and then pulled it from the store , threw in the peanuts, butter, baking soda, and vanilla and stirred like crazy. I had made a double batch and dumped the two piles onto parchement paper, I was a bit horrified as I was not able to spread it out with the spatchula as the piles were too deep. I grabbed the butter and tried to spread it by hand and almost lost my hands (NO chef hands on me that can go into fire). However what worked amazing and I recomend to anyone using this recipie, I grabbed one of those silicone gloves for lifing hot pots and made a fist, using the back of the glove the brittle smoothed out extreamly easy. The final product was amazing and is going into my xmas gift baskets :)"
vertigoxcured
Rating of 3 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"i too have had trouble with this recipe. i have a digital thermometer that has an alarm you can set when it reaches what ever temp you want. my fininshed product looks and tastes like peanut brittle...but it sticks to anyones teeth so bad i have had to throw it all away. it breaks with a snap so you put it in your mouth thinking it will be nice and crunchy but it isnt!!! why would it be doing that?"
Forums Moderator User
Reviewed By
"To "Help" and others making this recipe: I am sorry your brittle did not turn out as expected. Peanut brittle is not easy to make. Don't feel bad, you are not the only one to have your peanut brittle fail. The cooking temperature is very critical when making peanut brittle. It is important that it is cooked to a high enough temperature but not so high that it burns. I feel using a candy thermometer to ensure that you are getting it to the proper temperature is critical. I would suggest removing it from the heat at 295 degrees because it will continue to cook a little once it is removed. You also have to be careful that you don't try to get it up to the 300 degrees by using too high of heat. Be sure to use no more than medium-high heat. Also, be sure your candy thermometer is accurate. See the "Testing a Candy Thermometer for Accuracy" video in our video section to see how to check your thermometer. I hope some of this information will be useful when you try making peanut brittle again. Good luck!"
Help
Reviewed By
"Need help. Followed this recipe to the letter. Product is soft and not brittle. What went wrong???"
2Tmom User
Rating of 4 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I was just getting ready to rate this recipe when I saw the last post. It's too bad that lakotalady's didn't turn out. I made mine this weekend and it turned out great! No problems and it was really pretty easy to do. I have never made peanut brittle before so I am happy with the results. Maybe her candy thermometer needs to be calibrated?!"
lakotalady
Rating of 1 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"As I sit looking at mp finished product, I could scream! I wish I had followed the one on the peanut package. You do not add the peanuts with the sugar mixture then boil as the skins on the peanuts turn the mixture red and burn before the 300 degree heat is aquired! Now I have a dark red to black candy that tastes bitter! My house is filled with smoke, that may be from my temper over the waste of ingredients and the fact that I live 65 miles from the nearest store. Spanish peanuts are usually called for in peanut brittle, what kind did you use? You need to alter this recipe so someone else doesn't make the same mistake!"
E-mail: 
Advertisement
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.
© Copyright 2024 Tecstra Systems, All Rights Reserved, RecipeTips.com