Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

34 Ratings
  • 5 14
  • 4 10
  • 3 7
  • 2 2
  • 1 1

Foods with a high sugar content, such as peanut brittle, tend to draw moisture from the air, so try to make this candy when the weather is sunny and dry rather than humid or rainy.

Martha Stewart Living, May 1998

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Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes 1 1/2 pounds
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Butter a large baking pan; set aside. Combine peanuts, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

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  • Insert a candy thermometer. Continue boiling, without stirring, until temperature registers 295 degrees, about 6 minutes. When sugar begins to brown, stir nuts gently to ensure even cooking. Remove saucepan from heat, and stir in the butter and baking soda; the mixture will begin to foam up, so mix quickly. Pour onto the prepared baking pan.

  • As soon as candy is cool enough to handle, use your fingers to stretch the brittle as thinly as possible over the baking pan. Allow the brittle to cool completely, about 45 minutes, then break into bite-size pieces.

Cook's Notes

Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

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Reviews (5)

34 Ratings
  • 5 14
  • 4 10
  • 3 7
  • 2 2
  • 1 1
Martha Stewart Member
12/26/2017
Perfect light and airy peanut brittle. I prefer more peanuts than the candy portion and this was perfect!
Martha Stewart Member
12/21/2008
GreeLikeABean. Notice in the instructions, you need to begin to gently stir when mixture becomes brown. Luckily I caught this and had success. I think I will add some cinnamon next time. This time I drizzled melted chocolate and used a mixture of roasted nuts. From pistachios to almonds, GREAT.
Martha Stewart Member
10/23/2008
Hi, I used this recipe several years ago. I followed the directions closely and it came out great! My whole family loved it. So glad I found the recipe again online to use it this halloween! Thanks
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Martha Stewart Member
09/11/2008
Hi my name Debra, I have tried this recipe many times ,and have failed at one point and have had great turn out with other, just keep trying.
Martha Stewart Member
12/25/2007
Yikes! This was the first Martha recipe that I have tried that has failed me! Although we were on med-high heat, the mixture refused to turn amber...it just went straight to singe! By the time the thermometer read 295, the kitchen was in thick smoke and the sugar was nearly burned into the pan. I'll blame it on me but I would recommend another brittle recipe before attempting this one.
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