It’s not the holidays until I make (and eat!) some homemade candy. And to me, the most classic homemade candy is peanut brittle.
Something about peanut brittle also reminds me of my grandparents’ house at Christmastime. I love a recipe that also gives you all those nostalgic feels.
Related: And if you’re making Christmas treats, be sure try our recipe for my favorite puppy chow mix.
Peanut Brittle Ingredients:
- Peanuts – dry roasted
- Cinnamon – you can add other spices like nutmeg or cayenne
- Water
- Light Corn Syrup
- Granulated White Sugar
- Vanilla Extract – learn to make your own vanilla extract
- Baking Soda
How to Make Peanut Brittle:
- Combine the peanuts and any spices (like cinnamon) you may be using.
- Combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar. Whisk to dissolve over high heat. Then, monitor the mixture until it reaches between 290°F to 300°F.
- Remove from heat and stir in the peanuts and vanilla extract.
- Then, add the baking soda. Be careful as this will cause the mixture to foam.
- Pour onto a baking sheet linked with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
- Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, break into pieces for eating!
Tips for Success:
- You need a candy thermometer for this recipe. If the sugar mixture doesn’t get hot enough, it will not turn into hard (cracking) candy.
- As with any homemade candy (or recipe that calls for heating sugar to higher temperatures), be very careful not to get the hot mixture on your skin. While just as painful as hot water, the mixture will not roll off your skin like water would but rather stick (it’s sticky candy, after all). So, you truly want to take care not to stir too rigorously or splash as you pour the hot sugar liquid.
- If you or a loved one has a peanut allergy, you can substitute the peanuts for other nuts, like this recipe for almond brittle.
More Christmas Candy Recipes:
- Easy 3 Ingredient Fudge
- Chocolate Oreo Truffles
- Inside Out Buckeyes
- Salted Butter Caramels
- Homemade Twix
- Homemade Kit Kat Bars
- DIY Lollipops with Edible Flowers
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
If you want to add a chocolate layer to your peanut brittle, here’s how:
Once the candy is cool enough to touch (but before breaking it into pieces), flip the entire sheet of peanut brittle over to the smooth side.
Spoon on a layer of melted chocolate, using a rubber spatula or offset spatula to smooth it. Once the chocolate sets, break the candy into pieces.
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Ingredients
- 3 cups peanuts
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup corn syrup (light)
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
Equipment
- 1 candy thermometer
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the peanuts and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a pot, combine the water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve over high heat.
- Use a candy thermometer and wait until the mixture reaches 290°F to 300°F degrees.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and peanuts.
- Then, stir in the baking soda. This will cause the mixture to foam. Quickly pour the mixture out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
- Use a spatula to spread the mixture as thin as you like.
- Allow to cool and then crack into pieces.
Notes
- I used dry roasted peanuts for this recipe. If you have a hard time finding roasted peanuts that do not include salt, it’s OK to use salted or even flavored peanuts, just keep in mind this will change the final flavor of your peanut brittle.
- If you want to add a little more flavor/interest to this peanut brittle recipe, add 1/4 teaspoon or more cayenne with the cinnamon at the beginning of the recipe.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Peanut brittle is so classic!
Looks so yummy!
Just made this for my Dad for Christmas, and I love it! Though next time I’ll have to spread it thinner or use less peanuts because mine didn’t come out as good as your pictures. But it tastes AMAZING!!!!
I made this peanut brittle last night. I doubled the spices because I like a kick. It turned out great! I can’t wait to give to family friends! Thanks for posting!
I made this recipe and the first two times I made it it was a complete failure!!!!!! I guess the third time’s a charm! It’s much harder than it looks. The first time it didn’t harden b/c I used an old candy thermometer… the second time I used a new candy thermometer and it turned out too thick and stuck to the paper like CRAZY. The third time I used a greased cookie sheet instead of paper and let the mixture go up to 325 before adding the peanuts and it was perfection! Very yummy stuff!
I like the look of this recipe and I kind of thing that it is the look that first gains our interest, and then drives us to try for ourselves. Got to admit this looks so good, i’m certainly going to give it a go. Only hope mine will look the same.
Thanks for sharing
Does anyone know a good substitute for the corn syrup? It’s a decidedly USA thing, and I’ve never seen it where I live! Thanks!
Looks really good ♥
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
http://messperfectblog.blogspot.com.au/
I Love Peanut Brittle!!! I have braces and I can’t resist I eat a lot of it:)
Oh add some coconut shavings!!! It’s the BOMB, My mom bought some peanut brittle with coconut, omg so yummy at a James Dean gift shop lol.
this looks so good ! i want to make this! 🙂
http://birdsandoxfords.blogspot.com/
YUM!!! Emma, I’m wondering if you can figure out an amazing recipe for pumpkin seed brittle. I had some from Williams Sonoma that blew my mind: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/spiced-pumpkin-seed-brittle/ I’m not kidding, I would buy and send you some if it were still available!
omg such a cool idea!
love the creamy and spicy!
wonder if you can add white chocolate in it or not?
www.amazine.com
holy moly peanut brittle is my fave candy!
think i would only use the vanilla and cinnamon though
love how it is creamy aswell!
I LOVE peanuts. I’ve never had peanut brittle though! I will have to don my apron this weekend! We are putting our Christmas decorations up on Sunday so this would be the perfect snack 🙂
www.little-beast.blogspot.com
i absolutely love peanut brittle and I always use a pretty basic recipe to make it as it’s so straightforward buuuut this year I think i’ll try adding a little spice – thank you!
p.s actually in my family peanut brittle usually does happen in July for my dad’s birthday – he loves it even more than me (if that’s possible)!
Oooh this sounds like a delicious recipe. It makes me think of satay sauce 🙂
Wow, it looks yummy and I will do it. Have a nice day.
http://www.fashiondenis.com/
This looks soooo delish! I can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks so much!
I LOVE peanut brittle! It seems so easy, I don’t know why I never thought of making it before. Thanks for this!