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This peanut brittle recipe makes classic, crunchy, buttery brittle with a short list of pantry ingredients! Cook, then pour it onto a pan, and let it cool. Then, break it into pieces and you’ve got old-fashioned candy that’s perfect for Christmas tins!
It looks fancy, but homemade peanut brittle is mostly about watching a thermometer and moving fast at the end. Here’s exactly what to look for at each stage.
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Pin RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Peanut Brittle
Candy recipes like Christmas Crack and Peanut Butter and Chocolate Buckeyes have become holiday traditions in my house. And when my kids were ready for a challenge, I added this peanut brittle recipe to the lineup too!
Now, don’t get me wrong: peanut brittle is easy to make. But it does require some attention to detail since you have to use a candy thermometer. The results are so worth it, though. Gift this brittle to friends and family and I promise they’ll be impressed!
- Pantry ingredients and no special supplies beyond a candy thermometer.
- Light and snappy, not tooth-breaking, thanks to the baking soda.
- About 20 minutes of stovetop time, then it cools on the counter.
- Makes about a pound for gift tins, cookie trays and neighbor plates.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and complete instructions.
- Granulated sugar: The base of the candy.
- Light corn syrup: Keeps the sugar from crystallizing so the brittle stays glassy instead of grainy.
- Raw Spanish peanuts: The traditional choice, because they toast right in the hot syrup. Dry-roasted peanuts work too; see the recipe notes for when to add them.
- Butter and vanilla: For that rich, buttery flavor.
- Baking soda: Don’t skip it. It makes the candy foam up and sets with tiny air pockets, which is what makes brittle light enough to bite.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness. Use less if your peanuts are salted.
What You’ll Need
- A heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan
- A candy thermometer (or use the cold-water test below)
- A rimmed baking sheet, buttered or lined with a silicone baking mat
- A heatproof spatula
How to Make Peanut Brittle
- Cook the syrup. First, butter a rimmed baking sheet and set the butter, vanilla and baking soda next to the stove, because the last step moves fast. Then stir the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt together in the saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Clip on the thermometer.
- Add the peanuts. When the syrup reaches 250°F, stir in the raw peanuts.
- Cook to hard crack. Keep cooking, stirring often so the peanuts don’t scorch, until the thermometer reads 300°F and the syrup is a light golden amber.
- Finish. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla, then the baking soda. It will foam up and turn lighter. That’s exactly what you want.
- Pour. Pour it onto the baking sheet right away and spread it as thin as you can with a buttered spatula.
- Cool and break. Let it cool completely, about 45 minutes, then break it into pieces.
What Each Stage Looks Like
- 250°F: Clear, bubbling syrup. This is when the raw peanuts go in.
- 280 to 290°F: The syrup starts turning pale gold and the peanuts smell toasty.
- 300°F (hard crack): Light golden amber. Pull it now. A few degrees more and it starts to taste burnt.
No thermometer? Drop a little syrup into a glass of ice water. At the hard crack stage it forms hard threads that snap when you bend them. If they bend, keep cooking.
Kasey’s Tips
- Prep everything before you start. Once you hit 300°F there’s no time to measure baking soda.
- Test your thermometer. It should read 212°F in boiling water at sea level. If it’s off, adjust your target by the same amount.
- Skip humid days if you can. Sugar pulls moisture from the air, and brittle made on a muggy day can turn sticky.
- Be careful. Hot sugar burns badly. Keep kids and pets away from the stove for the last few steps.
Common Peanut Brittle Mistakes
- Chewy brittle: It didn’t reach 300°F. The temperature is what makes it crunchy.
- Burnt taste: It went past light amber. Pull it at golden; it keeps cooking for a few seconds off the heat.
- Hard, dense brittle: The baking soda was skipped. The foam is what gives it a light snap.
- Thick, uneven slab: It started to set before it was spread. Have the pan ready and pour the second it’s done.
Peanut Brittle Variations
- Other nuts: Swap the peanuts for pecans, cashews or almonds and follow the same method.
- Chocolate-dipped: Dip broken pieces halfway into melted chocolate and let them set on parchment.
- Spiced: Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon with the baking soda for a holiday twist.
How to Gift Peanut Brittle
Peanut brittle is made for gift tins. Pack the pieces in an airtight tin or cellophane bag, layered with wax paper so they don’t stick together, up to a week before you hand them out. Pair it with my Saltine Cracker Toffee and Christmas Crack for a classic Christmas candy box.
How to Store Peanut Brittle
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, away from humidity.
- Don’t refrigerate it. The moisture makes brittle sticky.
- Freezer: Place it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it come to room temperature in the sealed container before opening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook the sugar all the way to the hard crack stage, 300°F, and stir in baking soda at the end. The temperature makes it crisp, and the baking soda makes it light enough to bite.
Pulling it before 300°F so it turns chewy, letting it go past amber so it tastes burnt, skipping the baking soda so it is rock-hard, and not having everything measured before the last step.
Sugar, light corn syrup, peanuts and baking soda are the core four. Butter, vanilla and salt round out the flavor.
Cook sugar and corn syrup on the stove to the hard crack stage with the peanuts, stir in butter and baking soda, then pour it thin and break it once it’s cool. That’s exactly what this recipe does.
Yes. Use the cold-water test. Drop a little syrup into ice water, and at the hard crack stage it forms brittle threads that snap.
It didn’t get hot enough. The syrup needs to reach 300°F to set up crunchy.
More Easy Christmas Candy
See all of my Christmas cookies and candy recipes.
Quick & Easy Dessert Recipes
Easy 3-Ingredient Fudge
Quick & Easy Dessert Recipes
Saltine Cracker Toffee
Christmas
Christmas Crack
All Recipes
Easy Crock Pot Candy
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Peanut Brittle
Equipment
- 1 Heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan
- 1 Candy thermometer
- 1 Rimmed baking sheet or silicone baking mat
- 1 Heatproof spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt use 1/4 teaspoon if your peanuts are salted
- 1 1/2 cups raw Spanish peanuts or dry-roasted peanuts, see notes
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet or line it with a silicone baking mat. Measure the butter, vanilla and baking soda into small dishes and set them next to the stove. The last step moves fast.2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Clip on a candy thermometer, making sure the tip does not touch the bottom of the pan.1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- When the syrup reaches 250°F, stir in the raw peanuts.1 1/2 cups raw Spanish peanuts
- Keep cooking, stirring often so the peanuts do not scorch, until the thermometer reads 300°F and the syrup is a light golden amber, about 8 to 12 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter melts, then stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up and turn lighter in color.2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it as thin as you can with a buttered spatula.
- Let the brittle cool completely, about 45 minutes, then break it into pieces.
Peanut Brittle takes me back to being a kid – I’m excited to share this easy recipe with you! Be sure to let me know what you think!