Peanut Brittle Recipe – Rachel Cooks®

Who doesn’t love selfmade peanut brittle?! Crisp, sugary, loaded with peanuts, it’s an ideal snack. One in every of my associates provides me a bag of her selfmade peanut brittle each Christmas and I’m telling you, it’s a deal with I stay up for yearly!

Do-it-yourself Peanut Brittle

Simpler to make than you would possibly assume. Typically making sweet appears slightly intimidating or difficult, and also you would possibly really feel it’s higher left to the “consultants”. I’m right here to let you know that you are able to do it! The substances are fairly easy and the precise hands-on cooking time is lower than a half hour.

Completely (addictively) scrumptious! There’s actually nothing fairly like selfmade peanut brittle. It’s completely balanced between candy and salty, with a lot recent peanutty taste and simply the appropriate crunch. If you happen to occur to purchase peanut brittle, it’s typically so disappointing, with stale peanuts or super-hard brittle. This selfmade peanut brittle recipe won’t disappoint!

Makes a fantastic reward. Everybody will welcome a bag of your selfmade peanut brittle. Wrap it in a fairly cellophane bag, with a ribbon tied across the high, as a Merry Christmas deal with. Peanut brittle can be a fantastic addition to cookie platters.

Ingredient Notes

• Roasted Peanuts: You’ll want a cup and a half of dry roasted peanuts. I’ve discovered that flippantly salted peanuts work higher than the common salted peanuts. Some of us choose uncooked peanuts, blanched peanuts, or Spanish peanuts for his or her peanut brittle. I haven’t examined the recipe with any of these however be at liberty to present them a strive if you would like.
• Sugar: Common white granulated sugar is the sugar of selection for peanut brittle. You would possibly assume that because the brittle appears golden brown, you’ll use brown sugar. Nonetheless, you’ll discover that because the white sugar cooks, it turns golden brown because it caramelizes.
• Mild Corn Syrup: Normally you will discover bottled corn syrup within the baking aisle. It’s clear with no colour and is usually utilized in candy-making. A typical model title is Karo syrup.
• Butter: I at all times select unsalted (candy) butter for cooking and baking. It’s finest if the butter is at room temperature.
• Vanilla: There isn’t plenty of added taste to peanut brittle apart from the vanilla. Be sure you use high quality pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Baking Soda: This baking important is totally essential when making peanut brittle. It causes a chemical response while you add it, inflicting the recent liquidized sugar to foam up. With out it, the brittle can be too arduous to chunk into.

The best way to Make Peanut Brittle

Prepare. If you’re making a sweet recipe, it’s vital to have every thing able to go. To make peanut brittle, you’ll want a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, a big sheet pan (ideally with a rim), and a sweet thermometer. Line the sheet pan with parchment paper or grease it flippantly with butter. I choose parchment paper as a result of it received’t go away a greasy movie on the peanut brittle.

Sweet Thermometer

When making sweet, it’s vital that you could precisely measure the temperature because it cooks. Ideally, you need to have a sweet thermometer that you could clip to the facet of the pan so you’ll be able to monitor the temperature because it rises and take the sweet off the warmth at exactly the appropriate time.

Measure out the substances. Once more, you’ll need to have each ingredient measured and able to go. The sugar, corn syrup, and a quarter-cup of water could be put proper into the saucepan. Measure the remaining substances (peanuts, butter, baking soda, and vanilla) and set them apart for now.

Prepare dinner the sugar combination. Over medium-low warmth, deliver the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a delicate rolling boil. The floor of the combination ought to be coated with bubbles. As soon as the combination involves a boil, don’t stir it. That is vital as a result of stirring may cause the liquid sugar combination to crystallize. Now is an effective time to clip the sweet thermometer on the sting of the pan. Because the sugar cooks, the colour will change from a white opaque colour to a transparent yellowish tint. Prepare dinner for 10 to 12 minutes or till the sweet thermometer registers 250℉.

Add the peanuts. Cut back the warmth to low. Stir within the peanuts, and proceed to warmth the combination over low warmth. Don’t attempt to hurry the method; the peanuts are inclined to scorch with greater temperatures. Prepare dinner the combination for about 10 extra minutes, stirring sometimes to stop the peanuts from sinking to the underside, till the temperature reaches 300℉ (arduous crack stage).

Add remaining substances. Take away the pan from the warmth and instantly stir within the cubed butter, baking soda, and vanilla. The combination will foam up.

Unfold onto sheet pan. Instantly, pour the contents of the saucepan onto the ready baking pan. Unfold the peanut brittle combination into a skinny layer, about one-quarter inch thick. Don’t fear if it appears to separate; the combination tends to degree itself out considerably.

Cool and break into items. Set the peanut brittle apart to chill for at the very least half-hour. As soon as it’s cool, break it into items. Cool utterly earlier than packaging.

Useful Ideas

Put together forward of time. As I discussed above, it’s vital to have every thing able to go earlier than you get began with the cooking. In case your sheet pan isn’t prepared, the combination will harden within the saucepan whilst you’re getting it prepared, after which it received’t unfold anymore. You’ll have a peanut brittle lump.

Measure fastidiously. There are some recipes the place you don’t must be terribly precise while you measure substances. This isn’t one in every of them. Sweet-making is considerably of a science and it’s vital to be correct or your brittle could not prove.

Know when to stir. As soon as the sugar/syrup/water combination begins to boil, it’s going to be tempting to stir it as soon as in awhile. Don’t! Stirring at this level could trigger the sugar to crystallize and the peanut brittle could prove grainy. When you add the peanuts, you do must stir sometimes to maintain the peanuts from sinking to the underside and presumably scorching.

Take Your Time

As you learn by the recipe, notice that the sugar combination is cooked over medium-low warmth, and when you add the peanuts, the warmth is diminished to low. Once more, it’s tempting to show the flame up just a bit greater to rush issues alongside however I’ve discovered doing that has a unfavorable impact. The peanuts scorch, inflicting the entire panful to show darkish and unappetizing.

Reduce the butter. I’ve discovered that reducing the butter into small items works finest as a result of it melts extra shortly when you add it to the sweet combination. You don’t need the brittle to harden earlier than you may incorporate the butter. Add the butter unexpectedly to the pan, together with the vanilla and baking soda.

Nut Brittle

If you happen to’re not a fan of peanuts or wish to strive one thing completely different, think about using a special kind of nut. Any roasted, flippantly salted nuts of your selection will work. We like cashews, entire almonds, or blended nuts. You may also make the brittle with walnuts or pecans. For the most effective taste, toast the walnuts or pecans flippantly earlier than including them (see easy methods to toast pecans or easy methods to toast walnuts). Be sure you try my recipe for walnut brittle with vacation spices.

As soon as the peanut brittle has utterly cooled, and is damaged into items, retailer in a coated container or resealable bag. I’ve discovered that it’s finest to retailer it at room temperature. Refrigerating or freezing peanut brittle modifications the feel and will make it sticky or chewy as a substitute of crisp.

This peanut brittle recipe will keep recent for as much as three weeks. Retailer it in a location away from warmth and light-weight, comparable to your pantry.

After the peanut brittle has cooled, break it into items. Be certain it’s utterly cool earlier than packaging it. Fill clear cellophane luggage with the specified quantity of peanut brittle sweet, tie a colourful ribbon across the tops of the luggage, and retailer at room temperature till you’re prepared to present the presents. It’s finest for those who don’t combine the peanut brittle with different varieties of sweet treats in the identical bag.

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, or flippantly grease the pan with butter. Put aside. Measure out all of the substances. It is vital to arrange the baking sheet and to have all of the substances measured and able to go to be able to transfer shortly.

• Add sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir to mix.

  1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup gentle corn syrup, ¼ cup water

• Over medium-low warmth, deliver to a delicate rolling boil (the whole floor is roofed with bubbles). The combination could have a white, opaque look at first. As soon as the combination begins to boil, don’t stir it. Stirring earlier than reaching 250℉ may cause crystallization of the brittle. Because it approaches the 250℉ mark, it would flip clear and have a yellowish tint. This course of will take about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a sweet thermometer to measure the temperature.

• Flip the warmth to low. Add the peanuts and stir the combination to include them. After including the peanuts, hold warmth LOW. Resist the urge to show up the warmth. In any other case, the temp will rise too shortly, and also you danger burning the brittle.

  1 cup flippantly salted, dry roasted peanuts

• Proceed to prepare dinner over low warmth till the temperature reaches 300℉, stirring sometimes to stop the peanuts from settling to the underside and burning. This can take about one other 5 minutes. Because the temperature rises, the colour of the brittle ought to grow to be extra caramel-colored.

• Take away the pot from warmth and shortly stir within the cubed butter, baking soda, and vanilla.

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Instantly pour the peanut combination onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and unfold to a thickness of about ¼ inch. When you’re spreading the peanut combination onto the baking sheet, it would seem like separating. Nonetheless, as you unfold it, it would maintain collectively and degree itself out.

• Let the peanut brittle cool for half-hour. Break into bite-sized items.

• Butter: Cubing the butter helps incorporate all of the substances shortly earlier than the sugar combination hardens. You’ll discover that the method goes significantly better if the butter is in small items.
• Peanuts: I choose LIGHTLY salted peanuts within the brittle. The common salted ones appear to have a bizarre coating that provides the brittle an orange tint.
• Storage: As soon as the peanut brittle has cooled utterly, retailer in an hermetic container or resealable bag at room temperature for as much as 3 weeks. Don’t refrigerate or freeze the brittle; it would change the feel and make it chewy.

Serving: 1oz., Energy: 147kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fats: 6g, Saturated Fats: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 3g, Trans Fats: 0.1g, Ldl cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 114mg, Potassium: 61mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 44IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

Share a remark and score beneath! I really like listening to what you assume!