Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle

Easy homemade peanut brittle is an irresistible, nostalgic treat featuring a shatter-glass crunch and a perfect balance of sweet and savoury. Imagine thin, flaky layers of warm, buttery caramel bursting with roasted peanuts in every bit.

It wasn't one of those candies I made growing up or passed down from my grandmother, but I would have to say peanut brittle would be one of my favourite candies to eat. I have eaten a lot of the years, and I just love the crunch of the buttery toffee and roasted peanuts. If you are like me, it certainly brings back a lot of childhood memories.

Peanut brittle is a fairly easy candy to make. It makes a great gift idea that your friends, family and work colleagues will love. For other gift giving ideas try my white chocolate fudge recipe, dark chocolate rocky road recipe or chocolate bark recipe.

To make easy homemade peanut brittle make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go. This is important because the sugar mixture cools and hardens very quickly, so there is no time to measure or find additional ingredients once you reach the crucial stages. Having everything prepared beforehand is critical for timing, preventing the mixture from burning, and ensuring the final product reaches the correct temperature for the right texture. 

For toppings and garnishes

• Top desserts: Create a praline topping. Pulse the brittle in a food processor to turn it into a smaller, more powdery consistency to sprinkle on top of ice cream, yogurt, cheesecake, or a frosted cake for added crunch and sweetness.
• Garnish other treats: Use it to decorate homemade truffles or chocolate bars.
• Add to a latte:  Swirl a small amount into your morning coffee for a sweet, nutty flavour. 

For baking and mixing

• Cookies: Fold crushed brittle into cookie dough, especially chocolate chip or shortbread, for a nutty crunch.
• Brownies: Swirl small pieces into the batter before baking.
• Cakes and frosting: Mix crushed brittle into cake batter or incorporate it into frosting for extra texture and sweetness.
• Other baked goods: Incorporate it into muffins, scones, or snack bars. 

And there you have it—perfectly crunchy, shatter-crisp peanut brittle! The toughest part now is resisting the urge to eat it all before it fully cools. There’s just nothing like the smell of warm sugar drifting through the kitchen. This treat always stirs up the best memories for me, and I’d love to hear yours as well.

Did you grow up sneaking pieces from a holiday tin, or is this your first try at making candy at home? Share how your batch turned out—hearing about your family traditions always makes my day!

Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle

Recipe by Marie Otty

Easy homemade peanut brittle is an irresistible, nostalgic treat featuring a shatter-glass crunch and a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Imagine thin, flaky layers of warm, buttery caramel bursting with roasted peanuts in every bit.

Course: SweetCuisine: WesternDifficulty: Medium

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Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup glucose syrup (light corn syrup)

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 tsp bicarb soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Prep the station: Measure out all your ingredients beforehand so you can work quickly once the hot sugar stage is reached. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine: In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the brown sugar, liquid corn syrup, and water over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil.
• Add peanuts: Once boiling, stir in the roasted unsalted peanuts and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan.
• Boil to hard crack: Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300°F / 150°C (the hard crack stage). This is essential to ensure the brittle hardens properly as it cools.
• Add remaining ingredients: Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Quickly and thoroughly stir in the softened unsalted butter, vanilla extract, bicarb (baking) soda, and salt. (Note: Adding the bicarb soda will cause the mixture to bubble up and foam slightly).
• Pour and cool: Quickly pour the hot mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Use a heat-proof spatula to spread it out into an even layer, then let it cool until completely set (about 30 minutes).
• Break into pieces: Once hardened, break the brittle into smaller pieces by hand.

Notes

• If you don't have a candy thermometer you will need a small bowl of iced water and a teaspoon. Once you have added the peanuts, allow to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then with your teaspoon take a small amount of the mixture and drop into the cold water. Let the mixture sit in the water for a couple of seconds and take it out and test for hardness. The candy must be hard enough to snap. If it is not, continue to do this method until the desired results are reached, waiting about a minute between each test. The candy can take up to 10-12 minutes to reach hardness.