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old fashioned peanut brittle
Jamie

Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle

4.20 from 5 votes
I started making candy when I was still in the single digits (maybe eight?) and living in Louisiana. There was something amazing about watching simple ingredients transform into these tasty treats. Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle was one of my favorites because of the way it goes from being a syrup to foam to the hard brittle pieces we all love. It was magical to me, and now I'm sharing the magic with you. Enjoy!
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Course: Death By Dessert
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup lite Karo syrup
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 cups peanuts
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
 

  1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, syrup and water. Using a candy thermometer as a gage, heat over medium heat (stirring constantly) until temperature reaches 'soft ball' stage (240°).
  2. Add in peanuts and butter and raise temperature to medium high. Continue cooking and stirring until temperature reaches 'hard crack' stage (300°).
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture becomes foamy.
  4. Pour onto two greased cooking sheets and spread out mixture until thin. Cool and enjoy!

Notes

Good peanut brittle is thin and crunchy. The thinner you spread it on the cookie sheets, the better it will taste when cooled. To help make spreading easier, you can keep the cookie sheets warm in the oven until ready to spread the candy.