Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe – A Delicious & Edible Gift For The Holidays

Around the holidays we are always looking for delicious, but easy recipes to share with family, friends and loved ones, including this Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe!

Brittle is a smooth flat candy that is made with a hard, toffee like substance and filled with dry nuts. Most often it is made with dry roasted peanuts.

However, it can also be made with pecans or almonds for those who have a suffer from a peanut allergy.

And every December, I pull out my recipe and make batches and batches of it to share with teachers, service workers, family and friends.

It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and one batch makes several edible gift arrangements.

So this year, when you are struggling what else you can put on your Christmas Cookie Tray or what to give to that hard to buy for individual, consider this classic recipe.

Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Granulated sugar
• Light corn syrup
• Water
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, sliced in tabs
• Unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
• Baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in making this easy peanut brittle recipe is to prepare a large baking sheet. Use the largest one that you have.

Then line it with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray or coat it in melted butter. This candy sticks to everything, so be liberal about applying it to the surface. Set the pan aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt and then bring the mixture to a boil.

When it comes to a boil, which will take about 5-7 minutes, add the sliced butter tabs. Stir the mixture until the butter melts.

Then clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan, making sure it is not touching the bottom. The bottom surface will be a lot hotter than the mixture itself.

After the butter melts, let the liquid come back up to a boil. Once the thermometer reaches 280°F (138°C) immediately stir in the peanuts.

If you are using a different type of nut, add them at this time.

Continue boiling and constantly stirring the mixture until the candy thermometer reads 300°F (149°C). Remove the pot from heat and stir in the baking soda. 

Warning – The Mixture Will Bubble

Please Note – The mixture will bubble significantly when the baking soda is added to the peanut brittle mixture. This is normal so don’t be alarmed.

Once the active bubbles subsided immediately pour the contents onto the prepared sheet. Use a greased silicone spatula to smooth out the peanut brittle in an even layer.

Don’t worry if it still looks puffed and a little bubbly at this stage. Once it cools, the surface will smooth out significantly.

Now here is the hard part. You must let it cool completely at room temperature without touching it. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours.

As soon as it completely hard, and no longer tacky, pick up one corner and begin breaking the candy into 2-3 inch random size pieces.

Storing Instructions

After the peanut brittle has been broken into pieces and is completely cool, store the candy in a covered container in a cool place.

Typically, you do not need to store it in the refrigerator. Most of us will be making this recipe in the middle of winter where the heat has been turned on in the house.

However, if you live in a warm climate, or you are making this recipe in the middle of a hot summer, it would be best to store it in the refrigerator.

When sharing it as a gift, place the brittle in a plastic bag, tied at the top with a twist tie. Or place it in a tin or plastic container, with wax paper placed between the layers. This will help prevent the pieces from sticking together.

Microwave Instructions

If you are looking to make an even easier version, without the worry of using a candy thermometer, try this Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe.

Just remember, that all microwaves cook at different rates. Therefore, it is best to give the recipe a practice run to know exactly how your microwave cooks before making a large batch.

Other Classic Christmas Treats

I often add peanut brittle to my Christmas Cookie Trays that I assemble and share with family and friends. So I thought I would include some other recipe ideas that can be added to the cookie tray as well.

1. Lofthouse Cookies
2. Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe
3. Thumbprint Jam Cookies
4. Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
5. 3 Ingredient Fudge
6. Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
8. Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
9. Hot Cocoa Cookies
10. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
11. No Bake Monster Cookie Bites

Enjoy! Mary

To receive our 3 Recipe Articles in your inbox each week, sign up for our free email list located in the middle of each recipe or email me at contact@makeyourmeals.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Pinterest. This article may contain affiliate links where a small commission is paid if you purchase a product at no additional cost to you.