Mom's Best Peanut Brittle (2024)

FAQs

Why add baking soda to peanut brittle? ›

Baking soda is also very important at this stage since it reacts to the heat, creating carbon dioxide that aerates the caramel, enabling it to snap when someone bites into it rather than requiring them to gnaw at it until it breaks or pulls apart.

Examples of interfering agents include corn syrup and cream of tartar. A key step in making brittle is heating the syrup to the proper temperature.

The general origin story of peanut brittle is that it came from the South, and that a Southern woman in the second half of the 19th century came up with peanut brittle by accidentally putting baking soda into her taffy instead of cream of tartar.

The mixture will foam and grow so make sure to stir constantly to completely incorporate. Working quickly, pour into prepared 10×15 pan. To keep the brittle light and airy, do not spread or flatten the mixture. Instead, let it flow freely.

If you overcook the brittle, it could be bitter or burnt. If you undercook it, the brittle won't properly set and the end result will be sticky.

Why did my peanut brittle turn out chewy? The likely cause is that the sugar mixture didn't reach the proper hard crack stage temperature. Ensuring it reaches 300˚F is key to getting that classic brittle texture.

#1 - Store in an airtight container

It should come as no surprise that storing your peanut brittle in airtight containers is one of the best ways to store peanut brittle. Keeping air out helps maintain your brittle's freshness by minimizing the amount of moisture that might come into contact with your sweet treat.

To store: Store peanut brittle (once it's completely cooled) in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate as the moisture from the fridge will cause the brittle to soften. Store for 6-8 weeks. To freeze: Peanut brittle can be frozen and stored up to 3 months.

When candy cools slowly on a stone slab, more crystals have a chance to form. With a higher number of micro-crystals, the sugar has more sites on which to crystallize, and so crystallization ultimately happens faster.

The most commonly used interfering agents are corn syrup, butter, and cream. Some recipes call for egg white, cream of tartar, or vinegar as interfering agents, too. Corn syrup is high in the monosaccharide glucose. Glucose and fructose will consistently produce finer, smaller sugar crystals than sucrose.

Why is brittle called brittle? ›

Brittle: a sugar/water mix cooked to the hard-crack state. Then nuts, corn-syrup, and butter added and brittle is cooled. It is hard and brittle, thus the name.

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 is beloved by many, both young and old. There's something addicting in that salty-sweet crunch that keeps people coming back time and time again.

In the vast realm of sweet treats, few can rival the satisfying crunch of brittle. This delectable confection is a harmonious blend of sugar, nuts, and magic that has captivated taste buds around the world for centuries.

The second best way to store peanut brittle is to ensure that your chunks of brittle are separated. To accomplish this, spread a layer of wax paper along the bottom of your airtight container. Then add a layer of brittle, ensuring there is a bit of space between each piece.

Why do you put baking soda in peanut brittle? In short: the alkaline of the baking soda reacts with the acids of the sugar to creates lots of CO2 bubbles. This interrupts the crystalline structure, making it more delicate and easily cracked…and thus more “brittle”.

The secret is in the baking soda. As the sugar is cooking and begins turning amber in color it accumulates small amounts of acid, and that acid reacts chemically with the alkaline baking soda releasing about a zillion minuscule bubbles of CO₂ that get trapped, making the sugar porous and, well… brittle.

In summary, the purpose of adding baking soda to dough is to generate carbon dioxide gas, which causes the dough to rise and become light and fluffy. This is important because it makes the dough easier to work with and results in a better texture and flavor in the final baked product.