Peanut Brittle: A Childhood Favorite

A few weeks back, a friend asked me to include some gluten-free options. Since I grew up loving brittle candy, I thought I’d include this recipe I recently stumbled upon. It’s ridiculously easy, requires few ingredients, and looks lovely packaged and given as a gift. Enjoy!

I like to store Peanut Brittle in a glass jar.

Peanut Brittle

by Mark Bittman, "How to Cook Everything"

Makes about 1 pound of brittle

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter or nonstick spray for the baking pan

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

2 cups roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted

Pinch of salt if you’re using unsalted peanuts

Directions:

Use the butter to grease a baking sheet, preferably one with a low rim.

Put the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small, deep pot over low heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and starts to color. Keep cooking until the caramel turns golden but not dark brown, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your stove.

Stir in the peanuts and salt (if you’re using it) and immediately pour the mixture onto the greased baking sheet. Cool, then break into pieces. (If you like, you can score the brittle with a knife when it has solidified slightly but not yet turned hard; that way, it will break into even squares.)

Store in a covered container for as long as you would like.

Additional Options:

Chocolate: Drizzle or dip the hardened brittle in any kind of melted chocolate you like.

Peanut Brittle Popcorn:  Pop about ½ c. popcorn kernels and put them in a large bowl. Make the brittle and drizzle it over the popcorn while stirring to evenly coat it.