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This recipe is so damn delicious! Even the toughest critic, dear old Dad, loved it. Super simple ingredients and a pretty straight forward recipe.
HARD CANDY
Making candy can be intimidating—even more so if you are like me and refuse to buy a candy thermometer. Only bad-asses use the cold water technique. For this recipe you gotta get it to the “hard crack” phase (not a drug reference). What that means is—when dropped into ice cold water the sugar should form hard, brittle, thready blobs that snap when bent.
Also, after the “soft crack” stage, just before “hard crack”, be careful to control the heat and not burn it. You don’t want the taste of burnt nuts. Gross!
MAKING IT BRITTLE
To get that signature snappy brittle, you need to add baking soda. How much you add changes the texture. You don’t want the candy to be busting teeth, so this is a must add. You can play with the amount, but I really like the amount in this one.
Careful when smashing the brittle to make pieces. Just do a few big ones and break the rest by hand or you could be stuck with a mess of crumbs. It will go flying, as my dog can attest to, so cover it with some parchment while smashing.
I noticed that the peanut brittle tasted way better the next day. I guess it just needs to sit a bit.
It doesn’t have to be peanuts, you can add any other nut you think would be good. Or cover them in chocolate for some extra added decadence.
Peanut Brittle sticking to your teeth?
No worries friend. Before you throw that batch away, try this method to salvage it! I’ve tried it and it works.
Put brittle pieces into a sauce pan. Slowly heat pieces until they turn to a thick, bubbly liquid. Stir often and careful not to burn. Be patient. Get a glass of ice water for testing. Drip candy into water. Take piece out after cool and taste. Check for desired texture.
Pour onto buttered pan. Let harden and break into pieces.
Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- 7 tbsp butter cut into cubes + 1 tbsp for pan
- 2 cups lightly salted roasted peanuts
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Liberally grease an 18 x 13 cookie sheet with 1 tbsp butter.
- Measure out vanilla and butter—set aside in separate small bowls. This will make it easier to add quickly at the end.
- Add sugar, corn syrup, water and salt to heavy bottomed deep saucepan. Mixture will bubble up at end so make sure not to use a shallow pot.
- Boil sugar mixture till sugar dissolves on medium heat. Keep cooking until soft crack stage or 280 degrees F.
- Add butter cubes and peanuts. Stir until well mixed. Cook till a golden color and you reach hard crack stage or 300 degrees F.
- Remove from heat and quickly sprinkle baking soda and vanilla. Stir vigorously while it bubbles to combine.
- Carefully pour the brittle onto the greased cookie sheet. While still hot and sludgy, smoosh around to the edges with back of spoon. Tilt pan if needed, but wear mits, it will be hot.
- Let sit till pan is cool to touch and candy is set.
- Cover with parchment paper and crack candy a few times with a tenderizer mallet. Break up rest with dry hands.
- Store in airtight container.
I have never made brittle before. I followed this to the letter and it is the best peanut brittle we have ever had. Thank you
Email corrected
Awesome! Glad you liked it. It quickly became my Dad’s favorite. I love it too.
Wonderful peanut brittle. I didn’t use the vanilla as I didn’t feel the need for it but may use it the next time as I usually try a recipe following the directions exactly. This is 5 stars!!!
I’m happy you liked it! It really is tasty. I always experiment with recipes a bit too. Everyone’s tastes are different and you don’t know until you try!
Always been a P’brittle fan, but never actually made it. During this nationwide pandemic I had some time on my hands. Searched Pinterest and your recipe read the best so I followed it to the exact degree! It was the BEST I have ever had. Thanks for sharing… It’s definitely a keeper!
Definitely a 5 STAR recipe!
Thank you for taking the time to review! I know we all have some extra time these days… Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
There is no vanilla listed in the ingredients, how much did you use?
Hi Sandy. The ingredients are listed in the recipe card. 2 tsp of Vanilla.
Best,
Katie