Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

FAQs

Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle Recipe | A Spicy Perspective? ›

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.

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.

Baking soda also raises the pH of the mixture, promoting the Maillard reaction and giving the brittle its particular color and flavor profile. Finally, pour the mixture onto a marble slab or cookie sheet so that it will cool quickly and evenly.

If your peanut brittle is not hardening, it's because the sugar mixture did not get hot enough to properly caramelize, cool and become hard, crisp and crunchy. If you have this issue, next time, use a thermometer to make sure the peanut brittle mixture gets to 300°F.

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.

What Makes it Brittle? The sugar will be cooked to 300ºF (149ºC)—hard crack stage; which when set up would be hard like a lollipop. But peanut brittle is delicate and you can easily bite into it—how? The secret is in the baking soda.

Examples of interfering agents include corn syrup and cream of tartar. A key step in making brittle is heating the syrup to the proper temperature. Typically, this is the hard crack stage or 300° to 310°F. This caramelizes the sugar to an amber color.

If you overcook the brittle, it could be bitter or burnt. If you undercook it, the brittle won't properly set and the end result will be sticky.

As mentioned in “how to make peanut brittle”, it's very important to move fast after the peanuts and baking soda are mixed in. If not, the peanut brittle will turn out too thick and clumpy. Don't play the guessing game and use a candy thermometer instead. This will ensure your peanut brittle turns out perfectly golden.

What is the best pan for making peanut brittle? ›

Heavy 6 quart Dutch Oven pot. Mine is an old 1970's Club Aluminum. It's perfect! You need a heavy THICK pot so it won't scorch.

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.

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.

Store peanut brittle in an airtight container (for best results use wax or parchment paper to divide pieces as they may stick together) in a dry place, but not in the refrigerator. Peanut Brittle will keep up to 2 months.

However, if you don't have a candy thermometer, it's still possible to make this sweet. All you have to do to find out if your peanut brittle is ready to be removed from the heat is to drop a bit of the syrup into cold water and see if it forms brittle strands. If so, you're ready to finish up your confection.

- Preheat your oven to a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C). - Break the stale peanut brittle into smaller pieces. - Place the brittle pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. - Heat the brittle in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, checking frequently to avoid overcooking.

Don't try to spread the candy once it's on the baking sheet as it starts hardening almost immediately and spreading it doesn't work well. Let the peanut brittle cool for 30 minutes, then break it into pieces. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two months.

Peanut Brittle is a smooth, flat candy (similar to toffee), with peanuts in it, that is cooked on the stovetop and poured onto a sheet pan to cool. Once it cools it's broken into small individual-size pieces of hard candy and lasts at room temperature for several weeks.

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.