Peanut Brittle. A golden peanut brittle cooked to hard-crack stage and spread thin, without chocolate or a baked cookie base. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A plain, crisp peanut candy
This version is golden rather than chocolate-coated. Sugar and corn syrup form the brittle, roasted peanuts are stirred through, and baking soda aerates the hot mixture just before spreading. A candy thermometer matters more than the exact saucepan time.
The proposed sheet breaks into about thirty uneven pieces. That is an editorial count, not a standardized one-ounce portion. The brittle has not been cooked or weighed in a Chefly kitchen.
Set up before heating syrup
Line the sheet, keep an oven mitt nearby and measure butter, vanilla and baking soda in advance. Once hot candy reaches hard-crack stage, there is little time to hunt for an ingredient. A heavy saucepan helps distribute heat; keep the thermometer tip out of contact with its bottom.
Use roasted salted peanuts as written. Unsalted nuts change the flavor, while raw nuts may need a different cook schedule. The butter adds milk as an allergen, and the peanut ingredient must be disclosed in any shared gift box.
Ingredients for 30 pieces
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup | Syrup. |
| Light corn syrup | 1/2 cup | Syrup. |
| Water | 1/4 cup | Syrup. |
| Roasted salted peanuts | 1 1/2 cups | Warm slightly before adding if kitchen is cold. |
| Unsalted butter | 2 tablespoons | Stir in near the end. |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | Add off heat; bubbling expected. |
| Baking soda | 1 teaspoon | Add off heat and spread immediately. |
Step-by-step method
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and measure all ingredients before cooking; hot brittle sets quickly. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Heat over medium, stirring initially to dissolve sugar, then monitor with a candy thermometer held off the pan bottom.
- When syrup is hot and thickening, stir in 1 1/2 cups roasted salted peanuts and continue cooking carefully until the mixture reaches 300°F hard-crack stage. Exact minutes depend on pan and burner; watch for scorching and use a heatproof utensil.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter, then 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp baking soda; the mixture will foam. Immediately pour onto the lined sheet and spread thinly with the heatproof spatula. Do not touch the molten candy.
- Cool completely, approximately 45 minutes, then break into about thirty irregular pieces. Measure real thickness, batch mass, piece count and humidity sensitivity during the kitchen trial before promising a gift yield.
Cook to the hard-crack reading
The syrup first dissolves the sugar, then thickens. Add peanuts and continue cautiously to 300°F. Hersheyland uses that endpoint for a chocolatey brittle; the plain formula here is different, and its cook time remains untested.
A light amber color alone is less reliable than a correctly positioned thermometer. Candy near this stage can burn quickly and cause severe burns. Keep children and pets away from the pouring area and avoid tasting the molten syrup.
Foam and spread immediately
Butter goes in off heat, followed by vanilla and baking soda. Bubbling is expected. Spread the foam quickly and thinly, without pressing a hand or flexible plastic scraper into molten sugar.
If the candy cools in a thick mound, it may be hard to snap cleanly. If it is sticky after full cooling, document the thermometer reading and weather before claiming a storage solution. A larger batch could overflow a small saucepan.
Cooling and gift pieces
Wait until the sheet is entirely cool before cracking it into pieces. Keep pieces separate from soft cookies if their edges could crush them. Packaging, humidity tolerance and any exact keeping time need a real trial.
This article should not become a second pretzel-Rolo bite page. Brittle starts with a cooked sugar syrup and peanuts; the other candy consists of packaged chocolate-caramel on pretzels.
Brittle questions
Can I judge the syrup by a timer?
No. Use a candy thermometer to reach 300°F, not the estimated twenty-five minutes alone.
Why add soda at the end?
It foams the hot candy just before it is spread; adding it early would change the structure.
Can I add chocolate?
That becomes a different finish and ingredient list. The base is plain peanut brittle.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Hersheyland's chocolatey peanut brittle. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Peanut Brittle. Category: Candy. 30 pieces. Prep approximately 15 minutes; cooking approximately 25 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 45 minutes; total approximately 85 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 1 cup Granulated sugar; 1/2 cup Light corn syrup; 1/4 cup Water; 1 1/2 cups Roasted salted peanuts; 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon Baking soda.
Instructions: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and measure all ingredients before cooking; hot brittle sets quickly. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Heat over medium, stirring initially to dissolve sugar, then monitor with a candy thermometer held off the pan bottom. When syrup is hot and thickening, stir in 1 1/2 cups roasted salted peanuts and continue cooking carefully until the mixture reaches 300°F hard-crack stage. Exact minutes depend on pan and burner; watch for scorching and use a heatproof utensil. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter, then 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp baking soda; the mixture will foam. Immediately pour onto the lined sheet and spread thinly with the heatproof spatula. Do not touch the molten candy. Cool completely, approximately 45 minutes, then break into about thirty irregular pieces. Measure real thickness, batch mass, piece count and humidity sensitivity during the kitchen trial before promising a gift yield.
Allergens: Peanuts; Milk in butter; Check packaged ingredients and cross-contact. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
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Peanut Brittle
- Total Time: 85 minutes
- Yield: 30 servings 1x
Description
One sheet of plain roasted-peanut brittle, broken into roughly thirty pieces.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 1/2 cups Roasted salted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and measure all ingredients before cooking; hot brittle sets quickly. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Heat over medium, stirring initially to dissolve sugar, then monitor with a candy thermometer held off the pan bottom.
- When syrup is hot and thickening, stir in 1 1/2 cups roasted salted peanuts and continue cooking carefully until the mixture reaches 300°F hard-crack stage. Exact minutes depend on pan and burner; watch for scorching and use a heatproof utensil.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter, then 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp baking soda; the mixture will foam. Immediately pour onto the lined sheet and spread thinly with the heatproof spatula. Do not touch the molten candy.
- Cool completely, approximately 45 minutes, then break into about thirty irregular pieces. Measure real thickness, batch mass, piece count and humidity sensitivity during the kitchen trial before promising a gift yield.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 45 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate to reach 300°F plus full cooling; use thermometer endpoint rather than fixed cook time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Candy
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One irregular piece; actual piece mass varies