Using no syrup or sugar thermometer, this recipe consists of simply adding warmed, buttered peanuts to the caramelized sugar. Use a heavy wooden spoon when stirring the sugar as it caramelizes and turns to a liquid state, and stir it constantly. This is adapted from the 1971 Choice Candy From Your Own Kitchen.

For tips on making the perfect brittle, visit All About Brittle Candy: Standards, Tips, and Why Baking Soda Is Used.

Classic Peanut Brittle

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/4 cups salted peanuts, broken
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/3 cups sugar

Procedure

1. Melt butter in small saucepan over very low heat. Add peanuts and salt. Let warm. Put sugar in a 12 inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar begins to melt, and continue until it turns into a golden brown syrup. Do not burn sugar. Quickly stir warmed peanut mixture into the syrup. Pour onto buttered surface and spread out with a high temperature spatula. Then, when just cool enough, begin pulling the candy into a thin sheet. Let cool completely and break into irregular pieces.

Notes

Editors of Farm Journal. Choice Candy From Your Own Kitchen. Philadelphia: Countryside Press, 1971.

Content by Renee Shelton. This recipe was first published on PastrySampler.com on September 5, 2011. It was updated on October 7, 2020.