Peanut Brittle
(American toffee candy with peanuts)
Image by Janet Hudson
This is good, old-fashioned, buttery peanut brittle like Grandma used to make. Perfect as part of an assortment of holiday sweets or as a tasty treat for Halloween tricks.
Use a candy thermometer to test when your syrup is at the right temperature. It's much easier and more accurate than the old "ice water" test, and you'll have a lot less chance of getting burned.
Makes about 2 pounds
Ingredients
- Sugar -- 2 cups
- Light corn syrup -- 1 cup
- Water -- 1/2 cup
- Salt -- 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, cut into chunks -- 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons
- Roasted peanuts -- 2 cups
- Baking soda -- 1 teaspoon
Method
- Grease two 13x10-inch baking sheets with the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt to a large saucepan and place over medium flame. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.
- Once the mixture in the saucepan has come to a boil, whisk in the 1 cup of butter, one piece at a time. Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches about 280°F on a candy thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the peanuts and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 305°F, another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up immediately. That's okay.
- Immediately pour the mixture onto the two prepared baking sheets and use a heat-proof spatula to spread out to about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside to cool completely.
- Break the peanut brittle into pieces and store in a tightly covered container for up to one month.
Peanut Brittle Variations
- Nuts: Substitute cashews or almonds for the peanuts.
- For a darker, more richly flavored brittle, use 1/2 light corn syrup and 1/2 dark corn syrup.
- The amount of butter can be varied to your taste, and some recipes eliminate it altogether.
- Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla in step 1 if you like.
