Peanut butter peanut brittle is salty, sweet, and hits all the right peanut butter cravings. If you are looking for a combination of peanut butter and chocolate, try out these jumbo peanut butter cups or copycat girl scout peanut butter patty candy bars.
If candy embodied people, peanut brittle would be the 85 year old Grandma who loves everyone. This peanut butter peanut brittle though, it's for sure the 30 something grandchild who loves the classic traditional things of the past but wants to bring them into modern times.
Using peanut butter in hard candy
It's a fat replacer. Yes really. Hard candy such has brittle, toffee, or butter crunch typically has a high level of fat. This fat is most commonly butter. When putting peanut butter in hard candy, you are replacing some of that fat source. If you add too much your candy will separate.
It has a high level of solids. This means there is a lot of "stuff" packed into that peanut butter and almost zero moisture. The high solids amount will drive DOWN your cooking temperature.
Don't burn me. Peanut butter has protein in it. Cooking too aggressively or for too long will leave your candy tasting scorched before it looks burnt. Cook this to 286F.
It's going to be hard. REALLY HARD. Look, you need to not eat this for 24 hours. I know it's delicious and you probably won't read this long explanation before cooking. In the 24 hour waiting period, the sugar settles. It's going to start to become crispy and tender. If you eat it when it's cool before waiting, you'll hurt your teeth.
Be cheap. Use inexpensive, smooth as silk, cheap peanut butter. Don't go to Whole Foods and grind your own. You do not want your peanut butter to have any rough texture at all. You want the store brand, close your eyes on the ingredient listing, contains sugar, peanut butter of your elementary school lunch box days.
Order of addition, brittle style
Brittles have to have aeriation or they are tough to eat. This is done by using baking soda at the end of the cooking process. Once you hit your temperature, turn of the heat. Add vanilla, then baking soda. Stir the baking soda well enough to dissolve all of it but not so hard that you press out all that wonderful air just made by the chemical reaction of baking soda. Once your brittle is nice and puffy, add the peanuts. Stir gently and spread on your greased cooking sheet.
Ingredients for peanut butter peanut brittle
Equipment for peanut butter peanut brittle
- heavy duty thick bottomed pot
- candy thermometer
- you need one that reads OVER 300F.
- high heat spatula
- 12" x 17" sheet pan
Storage and shelf life for peanut butter peanut brittle
Store peanut brittle in an airtight container at room temperature. Shelf life is up to four months. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Peanut Butter Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 100 grams water
- 700 grams sugar
- 230 grams creamy peanut butter
- 275 grams corn syrup
- 10 grams salt
- 28 grams baking soda
- 200 grams peanuts
- 5 grams vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare a 12 X 17 sheet pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a heavy duty, thick bottomed pot, combine water, sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, and salt.
- Cook over medium high heat until 286F. Syrup will be thick.
- Turn off heat. Add vanilla.
- Add baking powder. Mix in well enough to not have white pockets of baking soda but to not mix so heavily that you lose your air produced by the baking powder. You want to keep that air!
- Add peanuts immediately after mixing in baking soda. Stir to combine.
- Pour on greased sheet and spread lightly in pan.
Nancy
Check this recipe. It call for baking powder, but I'm sure it should be baking soda.
Hannah
Thank you! You are correct. Going to update it.