Peanut Brittle

5 from 6 votes

Making Homemade Peanut Brittle is easy! This simple stove top recipe is easy to follow and the brittle turns out perfect every time.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can just set the parchment paper out on your countertop.
In a large saucepan, combine the 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, and 1/3 cup light corn syrup and bring to a boil. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and reaches 300° F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Note that around 250° F the mixture will start to thicken.
Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Stir in the 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts, then immediately scrape the brittle onto parchment paper. Spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Work fast - it will set quickly. Sprinkle with Fleur de sel or crushed Maldon sea salt as soon as you can so that it will stick.
After the brittle cools for at least 30 minutes, you can break it into large chunks.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Measure ingredients ahead of time: Make sure you have the baking soda and peanuts pre-measured and the parchment paper set out. Once you remove the brittle from the heat, it will start to set quickly.
Cooking temperature: You must cook the brittle to the correct temperature of 300°F. This is the "hard crack" stage. Any less and it will be chewy, and anything past 310°F risks taking it too far and possibly burning.
Be careful: Don't taste it until it has cooled. You can trust me on this one. Sugar boils at a much higher temperature than water so you can easily burn your skin badly. Also, if you eat this peanut brittle before it has cooled, you'll find that it will completely stick to your teeth.