Our 5-Ingredient Peanut Brittle is the Best Candy to Make and Share (2024)

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This salty-sweet treat is made on the stovetop with just five ingredients

By

Martha Stewart

Our 5-Ingredient Peanut Brittle is the Best Candy to Make and Share (1)

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire.

Editorial Guidelines

Updated on November 22, 2023

The perfect balance between salty and sweet, our peanut brittle recipe is made with just a few ingredients: peanuts, granulated sugar, butter, and salt. There's no corn syrup in our peanut brittle, giving it a true old-fashioned flavor and texture.

Peanut brittle is one of the easiest candies to make—and since it can be made way ahead of when you need it, it's perfect for gifting during the holiday season (or any season). It's customizable too: If peanuts aren’t your thing, make it with cashews or almonds instead.

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20 Easy Candy Recipes Perfect for Beginners

What Is Peanut Brittle?

Brittle is a kind of smooth, crisp candy made by stirring toasted nuts into a sugar mixture cooked to the hard crack or caramel stage, then turned out onto an oiled surface to cool. Peanut brittle is the most popular type of brittle.

3 Tips for Making Peanut Brittle

  • Avoid making brittle in a humid environment. Brittle is best made on dry, low humidity day. If you make it when it is humid, the candy will attract moisture from the air, making it sticky instead of crisp. Humidity also slows the cooling process while your candy is setting, increasing the chances of having unwanted crystals form.
  • Have all your ingredients measured out before you start to make the peanut brittle so you aren’t searching for an ingredient while the sugar burns.
  • Be careful when pouring the brittle into the buttered pan as the candy is very hot. Wearoven gloves to make sure the molten candy doesn’t touch your skin.

Peanuts make the classic brittle, but you can substitute the same amount of cashews or almonds instead in this recipe.

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet

  • 2 cups sugar

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 ½ cups salted peanuts, 7 ounces

  • Vegetable oil, for spatula

Directions

  1. Butter baking sheet:

    Butter a rimmed baking sheet; set aside.

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  2. Mix sugar, water, and salt:

    Stir together sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the salt in a medium saucepan.

    Use a medium-size saucepan (wider rather than taller) that does not have a nonstick coating.

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  3. Cook:

    Cook over high heat, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn golden, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has melted and mixture turns golden amber, about 10 minutes.

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  4. Add peanuts:

    Remove pan from heat. Stir in peanuts.

    Our 5-Ingredient Peanut Brittle is the Best Candy to Make and Share (6)

  5. Spread on prepared tray:

    Immediately pour peanut mixture onto buttered baking sheet. Quickly spread mixture to 1/2 inch thick using an oiled metal spatula. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

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  6. Break into pieces:

    Break brittle into pieces ready to serve.

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Storage

Properly stored (in an airtight container at room temperature), peanut brittle will last one month. Do not store the brittle in the refrigerator because the moisture in the fridge will soften the brittle.

Peanut brittle can be frozen, but it is not something we recommend because the candy keeps well at room temperature and freezing alters its texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why didn't my homemade peanut brittle get hard?

    The main reason why peanut brittle doesn’t get hard and have the crunch we expect is because the sugar was not cooked long enough. The sugar needs to be cooked to what is called the hard crack stage, 300ºF.

  • What is the hard-crack stage?

    The hard-crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. At the hard-crack stage there is almost no water left in the sugar syrup. It gets its name because it's the point when a drop of boiling sugar syrup immersed into cold water will break or crack into hard, brittle threads.

  • Is English toffee the same as peanut brittle?

    English toffee and peanut brittle are both candies made with butter and sugar, but there a significant differences. Toffee has a much higher proportion of butter than brittle and that is what gives it a more pliable texture than that of brittle. Also, peanut brittle contains peanut halves. It is a simpler candy than English toffee that has a chocolate topping and generally does not contain peanuts and if it has nuts, they are cut into much smaller pieces.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, July 2005

Updated by

Victoria Spencer

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Victoria Spencer

Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.

Our 5-Ingredient Peanut Brittle is the Best Candy to Make and Share (2024)

FAQs

Is peanut brittle good or bad for you? ›

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. But, peanut brittle becomes terrible for your teeth once all of those ingredients are combined into the final product.

Is peanut brittle considered candy? ›

While it doesn't resemble a lollipop or jelly bean, brittle is actually considered a type of candy characterized by its crisp and, well, brittle texture. A symphony of sweetness and snap, the basic ingredients of brittle include sugar, water, and nuts.

What are some fun facts about peanut brittle? ›

In parts of the Middle East, brittle is made with pistachios, while many Asian countries use sesame seeds and peanuts. “Brittle,” a flat hardened sugar candy, is thought to be one of the first candies ever made. Peanut brittle made with corn syrups and nuts began appearing in cookbooks around the 19th century.

What happens if you add more baking soda to peanut brittle? ›

Baking soda releases bubbles into our candy (you can see this on a more extreme level in my honeycomb recipe, which uses 5x the amount of baking soda!). This makes the brittle more delicate, crisp, and less chewy, which ultimately makes it more snappy and less likely to obnoxiously stick to your teeth.

What are the 5 benefits of peanuts? ›

peanuts are also a good source of dietary fiber and provide a wide range of essential nutrients, including several B group vitamins, vitamin E, minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium, antioxidant minerals (selenium, manganese and copper), plus other antioxidant compounds (such as flavonoids and ...

Are peanuts bad for cholesterol? ›

Summary. Peanuts are a good source of monounsaturated fats, which help reduce LDL cholesterol. Limiting saturated and trans fats and replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may help improve cholesterol levels. Peanuts also contain phytosterols, which help to lower LDL cholesterol.

How long is peanut brittle good for? ›

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.

Are peanut candy healthy? ›

Peanut chikki isn't a traditional junk food. It has nutritional benefits from peanuts, which are a good source of protein and healthy fats. However, due to its calorie density, it's best enjoyed in moderation as a treat rather than a daily snack.

Is peanut brittle a southern thing? ›

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.

Why do people like peanut brittle? ›

Peanut brittle is a delicious treat that is perfect to make around the holidays. It's a sugary combination that's generously dotted with peanuts for some added crunch! There are many brittle recipes and many people make ones that are thin and almost tooth-breakingly hard.

What is the science behind peanut brittle? ›

For peanut brittle, start with a quantity of water that is 20-50% of the sugar by weight, and heat the solution over high heat. As the water converts to steam, the monosaccharides begin to saturate the solution, increasing their tendency to form crystals and precipitate, which results in a gritty brittle.

Is peanut brittle the same as toffee? ›

English toffee and peanut brittle are both candies made with butter and sugar, but there a significant differences. Toffee has a much higher proportion of butter than brittle and that is what gives it a more pliable texture than that of brittle.

Why did my peanut brittle not get hard? ›

Why is my peanut brittle soft? If your peanut brittle is too soft, you didn't cook it long enough. It's important to use a candy thermometer and cook the sugar mixture until it reaches the hard crack stage.

Why is my peanut brittle not airy? ›

It is important to coat cookie sheets with butter and put in the freezer to get them really cold before you need to pour the brittle. After you pour the candy you should put the pans in the fridge or outside if it is cold, so the brittle will set up quickly and stay fluffy.

Why is my peanut brittle hard but sticky? ›

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.

Is peanut brittle fattening? ›

Peanut brittle contains 130 calories per 28 g serving. This serving contains 4.5 g of fat, 2 g of protein and 20 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 15 g sugar and 0 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Peanut brittle contains 1 g of saturated fat and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Which type of peanut is healthiest? ›

Which types of peanuts are most healthful? Raw peanuts are the most healthful variety. Peanut butter is a great choice, offering a healthy nutritional profile and a range of health benefits. Learn about the health benefits of peanut butter.

Is broken peanuts good for health? ›

Raw broken peanuts can be put in a container and needs refrigeration storage. It has a shelf life of around 5-6 days. l Peanuts, being a legume is rich in nutrients and provides immense health benefits.

Are peanuts an unhealthy snack? ›

Peanuts are full of nutrition and make for a healthy snack. They're full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, which can aid weight management by keeping you full longer. For best results, choose raw, roasted, or boiled peanuts free of added salt and flavoring, and be mindful of your serving size.

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