I didn’t start making peanut brittle until recently, and now it’s hard not to have it around. An elderly lady in the community I grew up in always made gallons of peanut brittle, and folks would put their orders in and she would package them for pickup. It was a very exciting trip as a kid to go to her house and bring home a huge glass jar of peanut brittle, pecan brittle or cashew brittle.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups peanuts, pecans, cashews or other nuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- Start by greasing a cookie sheet and set it aside.
- In a heavy saucepan (2 to 2 1/2 quart) heat the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt until it comes to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then add the nuts and mix them in. Place a candy thermometer so it rests in the sugar and nuts mixture and continue stirring and cooking until the temperature reaches 300°F, which is also considered the “hard crack stage.” This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
- When the mixture reaches 300°F, remove the pan from the heat, add the butter and baking soda and stir to blend in.
- Working quickly, pour the mixture out onto the greased baking sheet and use a wooden spoon to start spreading the mixture out over the baking sheet. You can also use two forks, one in each hand, and pull the brittle until it’s thin and spread out as much as possible.
- Let it cool completely. When cool to the touch, break the peanut brittle into pieces. It’s best stored in an airtight container and will last up to a week.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 to 45 minutes
Yield: about 1 pound of brittle
(Photo: Justin Broulliard)
