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    Home » Our latest posts » Candy

    The Best Homemade Peanut Brittle You Will Ever Make

    November 29, 2016 Filed Under: Candy, Desserts

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    The Best Peanut Brittle Recipe you will ever make. Peanut brittle with plenty of air pockets to make it crunchy but not tooth damaging. 

    Have you ever had Peanut Brittle so hard you were worried for your teeth? Well, this recipe takes the fear out of this delicious treat. And it is tasty and easy too.

    container of peanut brittle

    The recipe is courtesy of my Goddaddy, Barry Marshall. He got it from the mom of one of his students decades ago and he has made it multiple times a year since then.

    He always has some for me whenever we get to see each other because he knows it is my favorite.

    Variations for Peanut Brittle

    Barry recommends Spanish peanuts because they are smaller and the red skin adds a nice little something extra.

    Lately he has been using mixed nuts (cutting the Brazil nuts in smaller pieces if they are very large), which is even better than the peanuts in my opinion.

    My husband prefers his cashew brittle because he loves cashews.

    He has also used sesame seeds to make brittle it like sesame seed candy.

    Tips for Great Peanut Brittle

    Barry says there are two secrets to making the perfect batch of brittle: baking soda and the candy thermometer.

    Plenty of Baking Soda

    Just look at the air pockets in this piece.

    The Best Peanut Brittle Recipe you will ever make. Peanut brittle with plenty of air pockets to make it crunchy but not tooth damaging.

    The problem with most peanut brittle recipes is they are too dense which makes them too hard to chew. With this recipe you get nice big air pockets between the sweet crunch. Less potential for emergency dental visits.

    A Great Candy Thermometer

    This is the one he recommends using (affiliate link, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no cost to you if you buy through this link).

    You can go with one of those cheap hard to read ones, but there is a darn good reason this one costs more. It is BETTER. If you fry or make candy or jams/jelly often this is a great kitchen tool to have around.

    Peanut Brittle

    container of peanut brittle
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 3 cups sugar
    • 1 ½ cup light corn syrup
    • ¾ cups water
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 ½ tablespoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 3 cups Spanish peanuts

    Instructions
     

    • Lightly coat 3 baking sheets with oil.
    • Combine sugar, syrup, and water in a large deep kettle. Bring to a boil stirring to make sure all the sugars melt and nothing sticks to the bottom.
    • When the mixture reaches 260°F add butter, peanuts and continue stirring and cooking until the thermometer reaches 310°F
    • Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda. Stir very quickly as the mixture will become very foamy.
    • Immediately pour the mixture out onto the baking sheets.
    • After the brittle has hardened, break into a few large pieces. Put the brittle into large plastic bags so the shards don’t go flying all over the kitchen when breaking them up into smaller bite-sized pieces.
    • Store brittle in sealed jar, can or plastic bag.

    Notes

    Feel free to substitute other nuts in this recipe. You may want to chop very large nuts (like Brazil nuts) in 2-3 pieces before making.

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    Until next time, happy eating.
    ~Audrey

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mother of 3

      November 29, 2016 at 2:12 pm

      That peanut brittle looks amazing! It brings back many memories of the holidays with my grandmother and great grandmother. Great gran always had brittle around.

      Reply
      • Audrey

        December 03, 2016 at 3:33 pm

        It is something I love but don't make all that often.

    2. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

      November 30, 2016 at 6:18 am

      That is some yummy looking peanut brittle - thanks for sharing on the What's for Dinner link up - and thanks for hosting this party!!

      Reply
      • Audrey

        December 03, 2016 at 3:30 pm

        I always love it when you come to my parties, Helen.

    3. Sarah Eliza @ devastateboredom

      December 01, 2016 at 6:54 pm

      AUDREY! You have LITERALLY read my mind... my husband and I have been talking about making peanut brittle for gifts this year! I am SO PSYCHED to come across this recipe... pinning and tweeting! #FridayFrivolity

      Reply
      • Audrey

        December 03, 2016 at 3:28 pm

        Warning, it is addicting!

    4. Jackie Callaway

      December 20, 2018 at 10:19 am

      This is so true to be the best EVER! I had decided for Christmas sweets I would make peanut brittle this year for family and friends. I had never made it before and went online to find a recipe. I picked out three, supposedly top, recipes and set out to making it. The first was okay, a little ho hum. The second I tried was wonderful as soon as it cooled to taste it, but the next day when I sampled it it was so hard it was impossible to eat. The third was another good but not quite there. This recipe needs a blue ribbon. The perfect flavor, the perfect ability to eat without breaking your teeth! Thank you so much for sharing. This is going to get rave reviews from my family and friends! I had to force myself to put it away it was so good!

      Reply
    5. Pam

      December 16, 2020 at 10:49 am

      Thanks for sharing! I love airy peanut brittle! Do you know if you were to add more baking soda if it would be even airier? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Audrey

        December 19, 2020 at 4:40 pm

        I have no idea, but if you try it please let us know.

    6. Janna

      September 08, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      I tried the recipe and it was really good. What else can I add to the recipe? Thanks for the recipe.
       

      Reply

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