My Mom’s Best Peanut Brittle Recipe is my dad’s favorite Christmas Candy. My mom made it every year growing up, and even though I wasn’t a huge fan back then, I can sure appreciate it as an adult. Speaking of appreciation and favorite candy, Old Fashioned Cherry Mash Chocolates is my recipe for my mom’s favorite candy, a Cherry Mash.
I like the crisp crunch and the peanut flavor throughout my Mom’s Best Peanut Brittle Recipe. It’s tasty! After trying a few different recipes, I’ve come to the conclusion that my mom’s recipe really is THE BEST!
step-by-step video for perfect peanut brittle
HOW TO MAKE MOM’S BEST PEANUT BRITTLE
Grease a cookie sheet with butter. Set aside.
Combine butter, baking soda, and vanilla in a bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, Karo Syrup, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil until mixture spins a thread when drizzled from your spoon. See the step-by-step video for an example.
Add peanuts and continue stirring the boiling mixture until it turns light brown (approx. same color as a paper bag).
Add the bowl of butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until butter is melted and mixture is foamy from the baking soda.
Pour out onto prepared cookie sheet and spread mixture out with two forks as thinly as you can (approx. 1/4″).
Cool completely.
Use a butter knife to break it into pieces. (See picture at bottom of post.)
MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Crazy Good Mint Fudge
White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps
Golden Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles
Holiday Snowball Cookies
Old Fashioned Cherry Mash Chocolates
Mom’s Best Peanut Brittle Recipe is made from very basic ingredients, and you don’t have to have a candy thermometer to make it. Sure, you can use a thermometer. If you don’t have one, you don’t need to feel stressed about messing this up. Just follow the instructions and watch the step-by-step video, and it will turn out great.
Mom’s Best Peanut Brittle Recipe is relatively inexpensive to make and is a great gift for teachers or neighbors. Package it up in a cute bag with a ribbon or add a few pieces to a treat plate.
Frequently Asked Questions about making Mom’s Best Peanut Brittle
where can i buy raw peanuts?
At the local grocery store and online. I have found them in the baking section at my grocery store. Others have bought them from Trader Joe’s, from the produce department of their grocery store, a farmer’s market, and even from a peanut farm.
when using a candy thermometer, what temperature do you bring the boiling mixture to?
Hard crack stage, which is between 300-310 degrees. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, stir the boiling mixture until it spins a thread when drizzled from the spoon. It sounds crazy, but you’ll know what I’m talking about when it happens. See the step-by-step video towards the beginning of the post for an example of what it looks like.
I have only used raw peanuts, but I don’t know of any reason why other nuts would not work. A couple of readers used almonds, and it turned out good for them.
Combine butter, baking soda, and vanilla in a bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, Karo Syrup, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil until mixture spins a thread when drizzled from your spoon. Sounds crazy, but you'll know what I am talking about when it happens. See the step-by-step video for an example.
Add peanuts and continue stirring the boiling mixture until it turns brown, like in the pictures, (approx. same color as a paper bag).
Add the bowl of butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until butter is melted and mixture is foamy from the baking soda.
Pour out onto prepared cookie sheet and spread mixture out with two forks as thinly as you can (approx. ¼").
Cool completely.
Use a butter knife to break it into pieces. (See picture below.)
Don’t Forget to pin this amazing recipe to your favorite pinterest board!
More tried and true candy recipes
Merry Widow CaramelsHomemade Toffee with Chocolate and AlmondsPeanut Butter Cup Bars {No Bake}
Peanut brittle has one redeeming quality: peanuts. Outside of that single ingredient, peanut brittle is painfully unhealthy. It contains: sugar, corn syrup, and butter, all of which are unhealthy for your body in different ways.
To store: Store peanut brittle (once it's completely cooled) in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate as the moisture from the fridge will cause the brittle to soften. Store for 6-8 weeks. To freeze: Peanut brittle can be frozen and stored up to 3 months.
If your peanut brittle never sets up hard, it means you didn't cook it to a high enough temperature. Make sure you cook it to the “hard crack” stage, between 298°F- 313°F, and swirl your thermometer probe around in the syrup to get an accurate read of the temperature.
The general origin story of peanut brittle is that it came from the South, and that a Southern woman in the second half of the 19th century came up with peanut brittle by accidentally putting baking soda into her taffy instead of cream of tartar.
Baking soda is also very important at this stage since it reacts to the heat, creating carbon dioxide that aerates the caramel, enabling it to snap when someone bites into it rather than requiring them to gnaw at it until it breaks or pulls apart.
Individuals with diabetes need foods that can help manage blood sugar and weight. Peanuts and peanut butter can be a powerful ally to reaching success. Peanuts and peanut butter have a low glycemic index, which means they don't cause blood sugar to rise sharply.
Absolutely!If you want to extend the life of your peanut brittle, you can freeze it. But, make sure it is completely cooled, as moisture is an enemy of peanut brittle. Ensure the brittle pieces are separated by parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
What's important to know is that the corn syrup controls the grain of the brittle so adding too little and you have a grainy textured brittle, while adding too much will result in a stringy and sticky brittle.
It's what's missing — corn syrup. A common brittle ingredient, Asare said, corn syrup causes brittle to go all gooey, gummy and tooth-clingy as it melts in your mouth, whereas sugar crunches, crumbles and dissolves.
Should you refrigerate peanut brittle? Store the brittle in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month to maintain the crisp. Moisture in the refrigerator would soften the brittle.
I don't recommend substituting honey, molasses, or agave for the corn syrup. Those other liquid sugars have impurities that will burn at the higher temperature of making caramel, leading to a bitter-tasting brittle.
“Brittle” , a flat hardened sugar candy, is thought to be one of the first candies ever made. Peanut brittle made with corn syrups & nuts began appearing in cookbooks around the 19th century. Because we find peanut brittle recipes most commonly in American cookbooks, it is generally recognized as an American recipe.
But did you know that this popular treat may very well be an American invention? That's right. And an American folk hero of yore may have helped garner its fame. In fact, peanut brittle's place in American pop culture is certainly an established one.
Peanut brittle's prominence during holidays and celebrations solidified its place in American culinary traditions. The southern United States, known for its love affair with pecans, introduced another star to the brittle scene: pecan brittle.
Peanuts are high in unsaturated fat, mostly monounsaturated fat (the type that is also in olive and rapeseed oil). This means they're high in calories. But they're also a source of fibre, protein and a range of vitamins and minerals.
Most nuts appear to be generally healthy. But some may have more heart-healthy nutrients than others. For example, walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pecans also appear to be quite heart healthy.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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