Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle is a simple, buttery, homemade candy recipe that is always a family favorite. There is no perfect time of year to make peanut brittle because it is good year round, and especially during the holiday season. It is hard to resist this sweet, crunchy, best peanut candy.

Looking for other simple homemade treats? Check out my recipes for Homemade English Toffee, Easy Microwave Caramels and Rolo Pretzel Turtles.

Homemade Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle is one of those classic, great recipes. This is a treat my grandma would have often at her home and now one I love to share with my own family. Making homemade peanut brittle can sound intimidating, but let me reassure that, with the right equipment, it is so easy to make a batch of your own at home.

Ingredients for Peanut Brittle

This recipe only takes 7 ingredients to make, nothing too extravagant, things you can easily pick up from a local store. Here is what you will need make this delicious recipe:

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 cups Raw Spanish Peanuts
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda

For full recipe details head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to make Peanut Brittle

Once you have all of your ingredients assembled and ready to, it’s time to get cooking. Following are the steps with some extra tips to make this peanut brittle recipe.

First, in a large, 4 quart saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil the sugar mixture for about 5-7 minutes, until it reaches a soft ball stage.

There are a few ways to test if the liquid has reached soft ball.

• you can drip some of the candy liquid into a small bowl of cold water, the mixture will form a ‘soft ball’ when it hits the water.
• use a candy thermometer on the side of the pot to keep a constant watch on the temperature
• use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the candy, it should reach 235º F

Next, you are going to add in the raw peanuts and 2 tablespoons of butter. Make sure that the peanuts are not cold, keep them at room temperature before adding into the sugar mixture.

Continue to cook and stir the candy mixture over medium heat until the candy starts to darken and reaches the hard crack stage. This will be 290º F on a thermometer or if you are dropping it in cold water, it will be hard candy and snap apart easily.

Once the candy has reached the hard crack stage, this is where you want to move quickly, because you don’t want the candy to start cooling or even get hotter in the pan.

Remove the brittle from the stove and quickly stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The peanut brittle will bubble up and change color, which is exactly what you want the candy to do.

Quickly and carefully (remember it is SO hot at this point), pour the peanut brittle out onto a parchment lined prepared baking sheet.

Spread the cooked peanut brittle out as thin as you can onto the prepared cookie sheet. If you don’t have parchment paper to place on the full baking sheet, you can spray the pan with cooking oil or grease with butter.

Allow the peanut brittle to cool completely (about 15-20 minutes in a cool place) before using your hands to break into pieces.

How to Store Homemade Peanut Brittle

Now that you have a whole bunch of delicious peanut brittle all cooked and ready to snack on, let’s make you store it correctly to keep it crisp and tasty.

Store peanut brittle on the countertop in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks. Do not store the brittle in the refrigerator as any moisture can cause it to soften.

Peanut brittle can be frozen in an air tight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Peanut Brittle Recipe

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Peanut Brittle is a simple, buttery, crunchy, homemade candy recipe that is always a family favorite.