One of our favorite things to make around the holidays is our Quick and Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe.
Making this recipe has been a long time family tradition in our house. Every Christmas you could be sure that we would make several trays of this delicious candy.
We would then package it up as part of our homemade cookie trays to give to our friends, neighbors and teachers as a gift.
And although you can now easily purchase peanut brittle, there is nothing like the taste of the homemade version.
However, this recipe will guide you through a way to make it even faster than traditional methods.
Yes, you can still make it on your stovetop. But this recipe will show you how to make it using your microwave.
Either way, the flavor and texture of the homemade peanut brittle is AMAZING!
Quick and Easy Peanut Brittle
So how do you make this delicious recipe? First of all you need a large microwavable bowl and a microwave.
We use our 2 quart glass mixing bowl for this recipe. You can mix and heat all of the ingredients using just one bowl. Which, of course, means less dishes in the end!
Start by adding the sugar, salt and corn syrup to the bowl and cook for 5 minutes in the microwave.
Then mix in the peanuts and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Next add in the butter and vanilla and heat for 45 seconds. As soon as you pull the bowl out of the microwave, stir in the baking soda.
Beware – the mixture will begin to bubble when the baking soda is added. This will allow the gases to enter into the mixture, causing those air bubbles that are commonly found in peanut brittle.
Quickly spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once it is cooled completely, break candy into pieces and store in an air-tight container.
And there you have it, a quick and easy recipe to make this popular Christmas treat!
Enjoy!
Mary and Jim
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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Quick and Easy Peanut Brittle Recipe
How to make Peanut Brittle in minutes by melting and blending the ingredients in the microwave or stovetop. A great addition to any Christmas Cookie Tray or gift idea.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups shelled raw peanuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Microwave first 3 ingredients in a 2-quart glass bowl on HIGH 5 minutes. *see note
- Stir in peanuts and microwave 3 more minutes
- Stir in butter and vanilla and microwave 45 seconds or until candy is the color of peanut butter.
- Stir in baking soda (mixture will bubble).
- Working quickly, spread hot candy in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a lightly greased baking sheet) using two metal forks.
- Cool completely and break candy into pieces.
*all microwaves cook at different rates, our microwave is 1100 watts so adjust cooking time accordingly
**You may also make this recipe on the stove in a large saucepan. Melt the ingredients together as listed per each step.
Recipe courtesy of Old World Garden Farms