Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe (Crunchy Old-Fashioned Candy)
Peanut Brittle Peanut Brittle is a retro hard candy which involves cooking sugar and corn syrup to a deep golden caramel, then swiftly stirring peanuts, vanilla extract and baking soda into the mixture before spreading it out thinly on parchment paper. Spread it out thin, cool it and it breaks apart in shiny, crunchy shards.
If you’re after that thin, shatter-crisp candy with a buttery caramel taste and bits of roasted peanuts These Are It! It’s a quick, stovetop recipe, but timing is everything, so having everything measured and ready to go makes it seem easy.
The nice thing is how easily it snaps when fully cool. Keep it dry and sealed from the air, and that ideal “snap” will last for days.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Big crunch in every bite
- Glossy, old-school candy shop texture
- No oven, only a saucepan
- Breaks into giftable pieces
- Sets up quickly once spread
Ingredients
Candy base
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup or 150 g light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Finish (added at the end)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups (175 g) unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Light corn syrup: Helps to stop crystalization and maintain crisp of the brittle. Light months and heavy on one’s bowels, it can change the texture if you swap it. (Assumption: 1 to 1 golden syrup may be fine, but will likely make them spongy.)
- Peanuts: Dry roasted unsalted peanuts help keep the taste in check. If salted peanuts, cut back or omit kosher salt.
- Butter: For flavor, and to bring the caramel together a bit more. (Assumption: salted butter will do; decrease salt to a pinch.)
- Baking soda: It’s not optional if you want that light, airy snap. It will foam the caramel, so go fast.
How to Make Peanut Brittle
1) Prep the pan
Line a large baking sheet (half-sheet pan size) with parchment paper. (Assumption: lightly grease the parchment or the silicone spatula and spreading is easier.) Set aside.
2) Start the syrup
Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, butter and kosher salt in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Cook over medium to medium-high until it starts boiling.
3) Cook without stirring
When the mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking without stirring for 8 to 12 minutes (or more if using a lower flame), until it is golden caramel in color (shade of an old penny) and registers about 390°F (as measured).
4) Add peanuts
Take off heat and immediately stir peanuts until evenly covered.
5) Finish fast
Add vanilla extract, then quickly add baking soda. It will foam and get a bit lighter.
6) Spread and set
Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a thin, even layer as fast as possible.
7) Cool completely
Allow to cool completely and harden.
8) Break and serve
Break into pieces and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- You need a heavy-bottomed pot to ensure that the sugar cooks evenly and help prevent it from scorching.
- Once it’s nice and hot, avoid stirring; stirring may cause crystallization.
- Trust the color more than the clock: let caramel get deep golden (old penny).
- Take it off the heat the moment it’s right; residual heat will keep cooking what’s in the skillet.
- Stir in baking soda off the heat (it wants to foam) — this is what makes it “brittle,” rather than glass-hard.
- Move quickly while spreading; the candy hardens right away.
- Allow it to cool completely before you break, or you’ll end up with sticky bends rather than clean snaps.
- When fully cool, transfer the jerky to an airtight container and store away from humidity (and ideally cold) to keep it crisp.
Storage & Freezing
Room temperature (best)
Store in a sealed container at cool-room temperature for 1–2 weeks. Place a piece of parchment between the layers so they don’t stick.
Fridge (not great)
Refrigeration can add moisture to the formula and make it tacky. If you must, seal tightly and allow pieces to come back to room temp before serving.
Freezer
Store in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2–3 months.
Defrosting
Defrost under vacuum at room temperature such that vessels are temperate and condensation is inside the container, not on brittle.
Variations
- Chocolate-drizzled: Melt some chocolate and drizzle over cooled pieces.
- Spicy: Include a pinch of cayenne in the step with the baking soda.
- Nut swap: Almonds Company DescriptionGo Nuts Over Nuts is a great option to indulge your cravings for which salted, roasted lightly available in 200g.
- Peanut and sesame crunch: Substitute 2–3 tablespoons peanuts with toasted sesame.
- Sea salt finish: Sprinkle the warm brittle with a bit of flaky salt after spreading out.
Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Assumption: lightly grease the parchment or a silicone spatula for easier spreading.)
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, butter, and kosher salt. Heat over medium to medium-high until boiling.
- Once boiling, cook without stirring for 8 to 12 minutes (or longer if at a lower temperature) until deep golden caramel (older penny color), about 390°F (as noted).
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in the peanuts until coated.
- Stir in vanilla extract, then immediately stir in baking soda (it will foam).
- Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer quickly.
- Cool completely until hard, then break into pieces.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Temperature note: Your target is deep golden caramel (older penny color). The mixture can darken quickly at the end, so watch closely.
- Work fast after adding baking soda; the mixture sets quickly.
- Store airtight and dry to prevent stickiness from humidity.
- If using salted peanuts, reduce or skip the kosher salt.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!FAQs
Why did my brittle get sticky?
Humidity is usually the reason. Keep airtight (you can put them in the fridge if they are sealed up really well).
Why is my brittle too hard or bitter?
It likely cooked too dark. You’re going for deep golden caramel, not brown.
Why did it not foam when I added baking soda?
Your baking soda might be old, or the mixture cooled too much before you added. Add it immediately off heat.
Can I make it if I don’t own a candy thermometer?
Yes. Use color (old penny) and the rapid setting reaction as indicators. It’s not steady, and a thermometer helps with that.
Should I stir it while boiling?
No. When the liquid starts to boil skip stirring so that there is less chance of crystallization.
How can I get thin, even brittle?
Spread immediately and quickly. (Assumption: a silicone spatula that’s barely greased helps a great deal.)
