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Why I Love Peanut Brittle
There are many brittle recipes, and many people make them thin and almost tooth-breakingly hard. Grandma always ensured I knew how to make it light and airy, just like hers. She always said, “Never spread or flatten the mixture, and you will have extremely light, brittle, with delicate air pockets.” I have come to love this peanut brittle recipe and can’t have it any other way. Candy-making may seem hard, but it is honestly quite easy! Be cautious, though, and have a bowl of ice water close by in case you burn yourself. These are really high temperatures! Once you make this, you’ll see why it is so fun, let alone extremely addictive! Let the Christmas candy-making commence!
More Holiday Recipes
- Peco candy
- English toffee
- Saltine toffee
- The best peppermint bark
- Make sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Grandma’s Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup hot water
- 2 cups raw peanuts
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Butter a 10×15-inch pan on all sides and the bottom and set it aside.
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and hot water in a 4-quart heavy bottom kettle. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Continue to cook and bring it to a temperature of 250°F. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. I like using a high-quality instant-read thermometer, but a good candy thermometer fitted on your kettle will work as well.2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, ½ cup hot water
- Once at 250°F, add in raw peanuts and unsalted butter. Raw peanuts are a must with this recipe as they have a longer cooking time at high heat. Once the peanuts are added, stir the mixture continuously so no peanuts scorch on the bottom. Bring mixture up to 310°F.2 cups raw peanuts, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Once at 310°F, remove from heat and add vanilla and soda. The mixture will foam and grow so make sure to stir constantly to completely incorporate.1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp baking soda
- Working quickly, pour into prepared 10×15 pan. To keep the brittle light and airy, do not spread or flatten the mixture. Instead, let it flow freely.
- Place in a cool area and leave until completely cooled, about 2-3 hours.
- Once cooled, break into pieces as preferred.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Kaleb,
I was taught to make peanut brittle by my dad’s girlfriend more than 25 years ago. She never used a candy thermometer but taught me to smell when the peanut were cooked and that once the peanuts started to pop you pulled it from the heat and added the vanilla and baking soda. So this Christmas I used your recipe and when the peanuts began to pop and the mixture started to smell like baked peanuts I checked the temp of the candy. 310 degrees exactly. It was perfect peanut brittle each and every batch. I think I made at least 6.
Thank you so much!
I love watching your videos thank you for sharing 🤗🙏
I made it and loved the results. Could not find raw peanuts closest was roasted and unsalted and was afraid it would be a disaster. With encouragement from holiday baking site, I went for it and turned out delicious. Making it again tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your Grandma’s recipe.
This is my FAVORITE peanut brittle! I make this for all my friends and family at Christmas time and it is such a bit! It’s crunchy but not too hard and just has the BEST flavor. It’s my favorite year to make at this time of year.
OK so I’m not much of a peanut brittle person but I had to make some for my husband’s best friend who loves peanut brittle anyway you know when you make something you gotta try it and OMG it is fabulous. it’s light it’s airy and it’s just delicious. thank you for the recipe this is a keeper… oh and it didn’t take very long to make at all…
OK so I’m not much of a peanut brittle person but I had to make some for my husband’s best friend who loves peanut brittle anyway you know when you make something you gotta try it and OMG it is fabulous. it’s light it’s airy and it’s just delicious. thank you for the recipe this is a keeper
I love this recipe! So easy and delicious. I have found raw peanuts difficult to find here in upstate New York, so I used dry roasted peanuts and it works well, and is just as delicious.Try to get unsalted ones, but if you use salted just pour them into a sieve and shake to get the excess salt off. If the peanuts are unsalted, I always add a little flake salt to the top of the brittle immediately after pouring into the pan. Yum!
Can I add more than 2 cups of raw peanuts? We love our brittle peanuty.
I made your peanut brittle. Haven’t tried it yet but omg it went over the sides so it won’t be as thin. Yes I used the right size cookie sheet. Hope its still is good just thicker…lol. Thank you for this easy peasy recipe. Merry Christmas
I made your peanut brittle. Haven’t tried it yet but omg it went over the sides so it won’t be as thin. Yes I used the right size cookie sheet. Hope its still is good just thicker…lol. Thank you got this easy peasy recipe. Merry Christmas