Our 5-Ingredient Peanut Brittle is the Best Candy to Make and Share (2024)

FAQs

Is peanut brittle good or bad for you? ›

But, peanut brittle becomes terrible for your teeth once all of those ingredients are combined into the final product. After it's made, peanut brittle turns into a hard, sticky candy that can do some serious damage to teeth.

For peanut brittle, start with a quantity of water that is 20-50% of the sugar by weight, and heat the solution over high heat. As the water converts to steam, the monosaccharides begin to saturate the solution, increasing their tendency to form crystals and precipitate, which results in a gritty brittle.

Peanut brittle is a delicious treat that is perfect to make around the holidays. It's a sugary combination that's generously dotted with peanuts for some added crunch! There are many brittle recipes and many people make ones that are thin and almost tooth-breakingly hard.

In parts of the Middle East, brittle is made with pistachios, while many Asian countries use sesame seeds and peanuts. “Brittle,” a flat hardened sugar candy, is thought to be one of the first candies ever made. Peanut brittle made with corn syrups and nuts began appearing in cookbooks around the 19th century.

Peanut Brittle (1 cup) contains 104.7g total carbs, 101g net carbs, 27.9g fat, 11.1g protein, and 714 calories.

Why is it too hard? Using baking soda usually prevents peanut brittle from being too, well, brittle. However, if you cook the candy past the set temperature or overwork the candy once you spread it out onto the cookie sheet, that can cause it to become very hard and difficult to bite through.

Just as in homemade syrup or caramel corn, baking soda causes a unique chemical reaction (basically a lot of rising foam) that is crucial in creating the right texture in peanut brittle. If you make it without baking soda but you will notice the brittle is a bit harder to bite through.

But did you know that this popular treat may very well be an American invention? That's right. And an American folk hero of yore may have helped garner its fame. In fact, peanut brittle's place in American pop culture is certainly an established one.

If you opt for salted butter, you can skip this ingredient. Peanuts: Of course, you'll need peanuts for this classic treat! Butter: Unsalted butter adds richness to decadent peanut brittle. Baking soda: A teaspoon of baking soda creates air bubbles and makes a pleasantly "brittle" texture.

Is peanut brittle a southern thing? ›

Brittle is a Southern treat that is enjoyed mostly around the holiday season. Though it's not exactly clear when the first brittle was created, one legend says that a Southern woman created peanut brittle by mistake around 1890. (Which is oftentimes how the most delicious things are created — by happy accidents!)

Brittles are typically composed mostly of sugar, while toffees contain a fair amount of butter and in some cases milk. This makes toffees fuller and richer in taste, while brittles are more purely sweet and sugary. Brittles are also much thinner than most toffees.

We call this Healthy Peanut Brittle a treat food. It's a little bit naughty because it's sweet – it uses some 100% maple syrup, but it's also good because it includes good fats from coconut oil and protein from peanut butter.

If you don't think a peanut brittle business can sustain itself, think again -- while it may sound like a niche product, if you make it well, you can make a living from it. Of course, making the best brittle around isn't all it takes.

Peanuts are high in unsaturated fat, mostly monounsaturated fat (the type that is also in olive and rapeseed oil). This means they're high in calories. But they're also a source of fibre, protein and a range of vitamins and minerals.

Peanuts are full of nutrition and make for a healthy snack. They're full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, which can aid weight management by keeping you full longer. For best results, choose raw, roasted, or boiled peanuts free of added salt and flavoring, and be mindful of your serving size.

As long as you are choosing a peanut butter that's all natural and pesticide free, in addition to being free from added salt or sugar, any peanut butter will be a healthy choice. However, crunchy peanut butter has a little more fiber and less saturated fat, making it overall more nutritious, even if only slightly so.