Grandma’s Secret Peanut Brittle Recipe
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle Recipe
An old favorite of my husbands is his mom’s homemade peanut brittle recipe. It was used by her church for fundraising and a big hit. They would pour it into the bottom of pie tins and sell circles of peanut brittle. And it’s just as good, if not better that store peanut brittle. And less expensive to make at home.
Add this classic peanut brittle recipe to your favorite holiday recipes for gift giving.
What Do You Need To Make This Homemade Peanut Brittle?
- sugar
- corn syrup
- water
- raw peanuts
- margarine
- salt
- baking soda
- candy thermometer
Can You Substitute Dark Corn Syrup?
You can use dark corn syrup instead of light corn syrup. It will add additional flavors and give a toasty taste. Note that using dark corn syrup will change the color of your peanut brittle to a darker color (don’t be alarmed).
What Does Baking Soda Do To The Brittle?
Baking soda aerates the mixture when added. The mixture expands and rises when added and gives it the perfect crunchy texture. You will also see the color change from semitranslucent to to the iconic yellowish (no food coloring needed).
Can Other Nuts Be Used To Make Brittle?
You can use other nuts like cashews or macadamia nuts. You want to use raw nuts when possible. If you find nuts with salt, you may want to not add additional salt. We use dry roasted peanuts in place of raw if that is what we have on hand.
How Long Does It Take Peanut Brittle To Set?
The peanut brittle was cooked at 250F. Depending on the temperature in your home, determines how long it takes to cool completely for you to break apart.
Do You Need To Butter The Baking Sheets?
The baking sheet should be buttered (you can use margarine too). The margarine/butter keeps the peanut brittle from sticking to the pan. We used pin tins and once it was cool, we pressed on the bottom and the peanut brittle came out easily.
You could use parchment paper instead of a baking sheet. Make sure your counter or flat surface can have hot things poured on it. We suggest a pan with an edge because you can control where the peanut brittle flows.
How Do You Store Peanut Brittle?
Store your peanut brittle in an airtight container at room temperature.
Grandma’s Peanut Brittle Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
Add At 250F
- 2 1/2 tablespoons imperial margarine
- 3-4 cups raw peanuts
Add After Boiling 8 minutes
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon margarine
Instructions
- Butter baking sheet or pie tins.
- In your Dutch oven, add the sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring this up to 250F on a candy thermometer.
- Once at that temp, add the 2 1/2 tablespoons margarine and raw peanuts.
- Stir and Stir and don’t stop for 8 minutes on high temp.
- After 8 minutes, remove from heat, add baking soda, salt & 1/2 teaspoon margarine.
- Mix completely.
- Once incorporated, pour out on greased baking sheet or into pie tins.
- Allow to cool before breaking into smaller pieces.
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