cook · dessert · american
How to Make Brittle
Good brittle has a clean snap and releases the nuts without sticking to your teeth. The difference between brittle and burnt candy comes down to watching the color more than the thermometer.
- Total time: 45 min
- Hands-on: 20 min
- Serves: 8
- Difficulty: Intermediate
Before you start
Have everything measured and your workspace cleared
Once the sugar hits 300°F, you're racing the clock. Butter your spatula and baking sheet before you start cooking.
- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- candy thermometer
- wooden spoon
- buttered baking sheet
- buttered offset spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
The hard crack timing
Watch the color, not just the temperature
When the syrup hits 290°F, it starts turning golden. Pull it off heat the moment it reaches deep amber — it will coast to 300°F from residual heat.
Step by step
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in heavy saucepan. Stir once to wet the sugar, then don't stir again. Clip your thermometer to the side.
- Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 240°F. This takes about 10 minutes. The mixture will bubble vigorously, then settle into a rolling boil.
- Add butter and peanuts. Stir them in quickly — the temperature will drop momentarily, then climb again.
- Continue cooking until deep amber and 300°F. Watch the color more than the thermometer. When it's the shade of dark honey, pull it off heat immediately.
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. The mixture will foam up when you add the baking soda. Stir just enough to incorporate.
- Pour onto buttered baking sheet. Working fast, spread it thin with your buttered spatula. Don't worry about perfect edges — you'll break it anyway.
- Cool completely, about 30 minutes. When it's completely cool, it will snap cleanly when you tap it with a knife.
- Break into pieces. Use your hands or the back of a knife. Irregular pieces are part of the charm.
Tips & troubleshooting
- Humidity kills brittle — don't make it on rainy days
- If you don't have corn syrup, use 1/4 cup honey but watch for faster browning
- Store between parchment layers in an airtight container for up to one week
Variations
- Cashew Brittle. Replace peanuts with roasted cashews. Add them at 280°F since they're more delicate.
- Sesame Brittle. Use toasted sesame seeds instead of nuts. Add 2 tablespoons at 290°F.
- Spiced Brittle. Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the vanilla for heat that builds.
Questions
- Why did my brittle turn out chewy instead of crisp?
- Either you didn't reach 300°F or there's too much humidity. The syrup needs to hit hard crack stage to set properly.
- Can I make brittle without a candy thermometer?
- Drop a bit of syrup into cold water — it should form hard, brittle threads that snap immediately. But a thermometer is more reliable.
- My brittle stuck to the pan. What went wrong?
- You didn't butter the pan enough or the syrup wasn't hot enough when you poured it. Next time, really coat that pan.