Peanut Brittle

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Peanut Brittle is a candy that is one of the easier ones to make. All you need is patience and a good candy thermometer. If you make it enough you can even get accustomed to making it by sight alone. And you can tailor it to your tastes. Maybe add some cinnamon or other spices to it. Maybe use almonds or cashews instead of peanuts. Maybe add more nuts if you want less brittle. There’s no good reason not to make your own batch of this delicious candy!

*Moms, don’t try this while the kids are awake. It requires frequent stirring for a lengthy amount of time and as soon as you set about doing it the boys will start wrestling, the baby screaming and the peanut brittle will burn. :)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cold water
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 cup light Corn Syrup
2 Tablespoons unsalted Butter
2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Because peanut brittle sets up fast, have everything by the stove top, ready to pour before you begin.

Begin by greasing an extra large cookie sheet.
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In a non stick saucepan combine the water, sugar, Cream of Tartar and Light Corn Syrup.
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Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir frequently while it boils until your candy thermometer registers a temperature of at least 320 degrees Fahrenherit and is Amber colored.
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Still stirring…
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*As the mixture thickens you may notice the boil seems to slow down. You may be tempted to turn up the temperature. DON’T! Leave it on medium, keep stirring and wait. It could take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, maybe even more for your brittle to reach the right temperature. At this point you also want to make sure the tip of your candy thermometer is fully submerged in the liquid. If it’s not you may be getting a temperature reading that is below the actual temperature which may result in overcooked or even burnt brittle. The tip of my thermometer was not fully submerged so I often slightly tilted the pan mixture toward the thermometer while still stirring to get an accurate reading.

AH! Here we are! This is my preference of amber. Very light. The mixture at this color is exactly 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
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*The temperature for Peanut Brittle should be anywhere from 320 to 340 degrees Fahrenheit though, so if you really want to know what you think tastes best you could make a couple batches at different temps. Also, the darker the amber color, the higher the temperature. After 340 degrees things begin to taste bitter. At 360 the mixture is very burnt. Once the mixture begins to turn amber colored, the temperature rises very quickly so be careful!

The next steps must be done as quickly as possible!

As soon as your brittle reaches 320 degrees Fahrenheit remove the candy thermometer, turn off the heat, add the butter and stir vigorously till melted.
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Immediately pour in the peanuts and the baking soda and stir vigorously till thoroughly combined.
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*As you begin to stir you may notice the mixture foaming up a bit. This is normal, due to the baking soda which adds a little extra air to make the mixture more brittle.

As soon as the mixture is evenly combined, pour it out onto the greased sheet pan and spread as quickly as you can. You will notice the mixture hardening as you spread but make it yield and spread it as thin as possible.
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Now let it harden for a good 40 minutes or so, then break into pieces.
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December 10, 2007 | Filed Under Good Eats | 11 Comments