Two Christmases ago, Emma found my great-grandmother's candy thermometer buried in the back of my baking drawer and begged me to make "that crunchy peanut stuff" he'd heard about but never tried. What started as a rainy afternoon project turned into our peanut brittle recipe that now gets requested at every family gathering. The secret? It's not just about hitting the right temperature - it's about timing, patience, and not panicking when the sugar starts bubbling like crazy.
Why You'll Love This Peanut Brittle Recipe
This peanut brittle recipe works because it's not as scary as people think, and we learned that after messing up a bunch of times. Emma can smell when it's getting close to done from across the house - the smell changes from just hot sugar to something that actually smells like candy. You probably already have most of this stuff in your kitchen, which is great when you need a last-minute gift or just want something crunchy and sweet.
Once you figure out the timing, you can make a batch that sits around for weeks without going bad (though it never lasts that long here). The best part? People act like you're some kind of candy genius when really you just stood there stirring sugar and staring at a thermometer for twenty minutes. Emma loves bragging to his friends that we "made real candy," and honestly, the way people's faces light up when you hand them a piece makes all the standing around worth it. Plus, breaking it into pieces makes this super satisfying cracking sound that never gets old.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Ingredients for Perfect Peanut Brittle Recipe
- How To Make Peanut Brittle Recipe Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Your Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Storing Your Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Equipment For Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Peanut Brittle Recipe Variations
- What to Serve With Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Top Tip
- The Secret Recipe My Cousin Will Never Share
- FAQ
- H2: Time to Make Some Candy Magic!
- Related
- Pairing
- Peanut Brittle Recipe
Ingredients for Perfect Peanut Brittle Recipe
The Sweet Stuff:
- White sugar
- Light corn syrup
- Water
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Baking soda
- Salt
The Crunchy Part:
- Raw peanuts
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Peanut Brittle Recipe Step By Step
Get Everything Ready:
- Cover baking sheet with parchment paper
- Measure butter and vanilla into cups
- Have baking soda sitting right there
- Clip thermometer to your pan
The Sugar Part:
- Dump sugar, corn syrup, and water in pan
- Stir once to mix everything
- Stop stirring completely
- Turn heat to medium-high
The Boring Wait:
- Watch thermometer go up to 240°F
- Throw in peanuts
- Keep watching
- Wait for 300°F
The Crazy Fast Part:
- Yank off heat right away
- Stir in butter really fast
- Add vanilla and baking soda
- Stir like your life depends on it for 10 seconds
Pour and Leave It Alone:
- Break into chunks
- Dump onto parchment paper
- Spread thin with back of spoon
- Don't touch for at least 30 minutes
Smart Swaps for Your Peanut Brittle Recipe
Nut Swaps:
- Peanuts → Almonds (tastes fancier)
- Peanuts → Cashews (costs more but tastes good)
- Peanuts → Mixed nuts (whatever you got)
- Peanuts → Sunflower seeds (for people who can't eat nuts)
Sugar Swaps:
- White sugar → Brown sugar (tastes like butterscotch)
- Corn syrup → Honey (gets darker color)
- Regular → That fake sugar stuff (never tried it)
Flavor Swaps:
- Regular → Put sea salt on top
- Vanilla → Almond extract (use way less)
- Plain → Sprinkle cinnamon in
Storing Your Peanut Brittle Recipe
Counter Storage (2 weeks):
- Cool completely first
- Put in airtight container
- Layer with parchment paper
- Keep away from heat
What Ruins It:
- Leaving it out gets it sticky
- Fridge makes it weird and soft
- Humid days are the worst
- Don't put it with other cookies
Make It Last:
- Eat it fast (not really storage but whatever)
- Break into pieces before storing
- Don't stack pieces too high
- Check the container seal
Equipment For Peanut Brittle Recipe
- Candy thermometer that clips on
- Heavy pan (thin ones get hot spots)
- Wooden spoon for stirring
- Big baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Peanut Brittle Recipe Variations
Chocolate Crazy:
- Drizzle melted chocolate on top
- Dump mini chocolate chips while it's hot
- Use chocolate-covered peanuts instead
- Mix cocoa powder in with the sugar
Holiday Stuff:
- Crushed candy canes for Christmas
- Orange zest for Halloween
- Cinnamon and nutmeg for fall
- Red food coloring for Valentine's Day
Fancy Pants:
- Big flakes of sea salt on top
- Chopped up dried fruit
- Coconut flakes
- Broken pretzel pieces
Emma's Weird Ideas:
- Birthday cake sprinkles (totally his idea)
- Mini marshmallows thrown in at the end
- Crushed up cookies
- Rainbow sprinkles just because
What to Serve With Peanut Brittle Recipe
From making this for tons of different times, here's what tastes really good with it. For dessert, try breaking pieces over vanilla ice cream, having it with hot coffee or tea, or just eating it with fresh apple slices. During holidays, it's great with hot chocolate and marshmallows, eggnog at Christmas, or apple cider in the fall. Kids love it with plain milk, and honestly, Emma's favorite way is just smashing it up over ice cream or eating it straight while watching TV.
For parties, break it into small pieces so people can grab some easily, put it out with other sweet stuff, or pack it in little bags to give away. You can even have it with cheese, which sounds gross but actually tastes pretty good. Just don't put it out when it's really hot and sticky outside because it gets all gooey and nasty. Also, keep it away from soft cookies or everything turns into one big sticky blob that nobody wants to touch.
Top Tip
- Don't worry if your first batch looks weird - even our early attempts that came out ugly still tasted way better than store-bought junk. As Emma always says, "The ugly pieces taste just as good!" We've made batches that were too thick, too thin, burnt around the edges, and even one that never got hard because our thermometer was broken, but people still ate every single piece.
- Plus, there's something really fun about making candy from nothing, even if it doesn't look perfect. Emma loves telling people we made it ourselves, especially when they can't believe something that tastes this good came from our kitchen. Sometimes the wonky-looking pieces are the best ones because they have more nuts or extra crispy edges.
The Secret Recipe My Cousin Will Never Share
My cousin has been making peanut brittle for his restaurant for like fifteen years, and he's never told anyone his trick. But last summer at our family reunion, Emma kept bothering him about it until he finally gave up. Turns out, he adds a tiny bit of coconut oil right before the vanilla - maybe half a teaspoon - and it makes the brittle stay crispy way longer than normal. He also uses salted peanuts instead of plain ones, but here's the weird part: he rinses the salt off first and then puts his own fresh salt on at the very end.
The other thing my cousin does is let the sugar get to 305°F instead of 300°F, which sounds like it would burn everything, but it makes it way crunchier. Emma was so happy when my cousin finally told us the secret that he wanted to try it right away on our next batch. Now we do it his way every time, and people always ask what makes ours taste different from everyone else's. My cousin made us promise not to tell anyone, but I figure writing it here doesn't count since he'll never see this anyway.
FAQ
What is the trick to Peanut Brittle Recipe?
The biggest thing is not stirring once the sugar starts bubbling and getting a thermometer that actually works. Most people mess up by stirring too much or just guessing when it's done. Also, have everything measured out before you start because once it hits 300°F, everything happens really fast.
What are the ingredients in Peanut Brittle Recipe?
Just sugar, corn syrup, water, peanuts, butter, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. That's all you need. The weird part is when you add baking soda at the end - it makes it light and crunchy instead of hard like a rock.
What's the difference between toffee and Peanut Brittle Recipe?
Toffee has way more butter and usually chocolate on top, plus it's chewy. Peanut brittle is thin, crispy, and breaks with a loud crack. Toffee doesn't get cooked as hot so it stays soft, while brittle goes all the way to really hot so it gets hard.
Why didn't my homemade Peanut Brittle Recipe get hard?
Your thermometer was probably wrong, you didn't cook it hot enough, or it was too humid outside. Peanut brittle has to hit exactly 300°F or it won't get hard. Also, if you live somewhere really humid, it might stay soft no matter what you do.
H2: Time to Make Some Candy Magic!
Now you know how to make peanut brittle recipe that actually works - from getting the temperature right to my cousin's secret coconut oil trick. This old recipe shows that sometimes the best treats are the ones that take a little patience and watching, but it's so worth it when you hear that perfect crack.
Want more sweet stuff that'll make people happy? Try our Delicious Grilled Pineapple Recipe for something fruity and caramelized that's great for summer. Want something fancy? Our Delicious Baklava Cheesecake Recipe mixes two desserts into one crazy good thing. Or make our The Best Orange Creamsicle Truffles Recipe that tastes just like those orange popsicles but way better!
Share your peanut brittle wins! We want to see your golden, crunchy stuff!
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Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Peanut Brittle Recipe
Peanut Brittle Recipe
Equipment
- 1 candy thermometer (Must clip onto pan)
- 1 Heavy saucepan (Avoid thin pans (hot spots))
- 1 Wooden spoon (For stirring at the end)
- 1 Baking sheet (Lined with parchment)
- 1 Parchment paper (Non-stick surface)
Ingredients
- 2 cups White sugar
- 1 cup Light corn syrup - Honey can be substituted
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tablespoon Butter - Softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract - Almond extract works too
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda - Gives airy crunch
- ½ teaspoon Salt - Sea salt recommended
- 2 cups Raw peanuts - Unsalted preferred
Instructions
- Line sheet, pre-measure ingredients, clip thermometer.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water; heat undisturbed.
- Stir in raw peanuts; continue cooking to 300°F.
- Remove from heat; add butter, vanilla, baking soda quickly.
- Pour onto parchment, spread thin, cool; break into pieces.
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