Growing up, one of my favorite things to receive at Christmas was homemade English toffee from my Aunt. My mom would also make microwave peanut brittle from a recipe she found in a Country Christmas recipe book in the 90s. We loved it! I also enjoy making candy for friends and family during the holiday season. I've shared our toffee and caramel corn with you before so today I want to share our microwave peanut brittle recipe! The exact recipe my mom used is no longer around, but I found one that was just like it (with a few minor adjustments). My mom always used Spanish peanuts, but I couldn't find those so I used unsalted dry roasted. Make a batch and bring it to your Thanksgiving gathering!
I would HIGHLY recommend clicking through the link below that I gave credit to and reading the comments about different timing settings for microwaves. My first batch ever scorched, but once I figured out the timing for my wattage of microwave it was fine.
30 Minute Microwave Peanut Brittle
(original recipe for a 700 watt microwave. My instructions below are for a 1000 watt microwave)
2 c. raw Spanish peanuts (or roasted unsalted peanuts)
1 c. sugar
½ c. light corn syrup
dash of kosher salt
1 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
cooking spray
Lightly spray baking sheet cooking spray. Set aside. In large glass bowl, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir to coat peanuts evenly. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir. Microwave another 2 minutes. Stir.
Add butter and vanilla. Stir. Microwave for 1 ½ minutes.
Add baking soda. Stir.
Pour mixture out onto baking sheet. Gently smooth into an even layer of peanuts. Let sit for 15 minutes. Break up into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Fill bowl with hot, soapy, water and let sit. This will make it easier to clean. If you are making multiple batches, having another glass bowl is nice.
Makes 1 pound of peanut brittle.
Captain says
I've had soft, underdone batches too, when testing times for a new microwave. Just roll into logs and cut - Payday anyone?! Dip in chocolate - instant Baby Ruth bar!
Captain says
Every microwave is different. Times need to be determined via trial and error. Also, doubling the recipe will require doubling the time. Microwaves are not like conventional ovens that maintain a given temperature. More ingredients require more energy to reach the proper temperatures.
denasfarm says
NOPE! Did not work! I did it EXACTLY as written and I have a pile of Pnut gooey not Pnut brittle! I am a professional Baker so I am not new to a kitchen. I think it needed another minute more cooking time before the baking soda was added. It IS Tasty and I will use it to make a filling for some chocolate candies. Thanks for sharing ideas. I LOVE trying new things even if they flop.
Brandy says
Oh no! Shucks. I remember my first batch in my new microwave burning...actually scorching. There must be some trial and error with each wattage of microwave. So sorry that it didn't work out for you, but glad you know you way around recipes to make it still work! That's impressive!
Jen says
haha,can you tell I was trying to try my hand at being an efficient candy maker? I think the micro is lower..most of it didn't get wasted,it was for an event without much food,so that worked out great 🙂
Brandy says
Hey, I've done it too. I made a casserole one time when my inlaws came into town and I doubled it. It took an extra 90 minutes for the rice to finally cook and we were all starving! So chicken and rice casserole is another one that doubling will affect, ha!
Jen says
Hi Brandy,
what did I do wrong? I doubled the recipe exactly.When I added the baking soda,it all foamed up...never hardened at all :((
Brandy says
Hi Jen! I am so sorry that happened. Generally, you can't double candy recipes because it affects time and temperatures. The same is true for my English toffee recipe. Doubling recipes for baking in an oven is usually fine, but these kind have to be made in batches. I would try it again and see if you have better results. If that doesn't work it could be a difference in microwaves? Mine is a 1000 watt. Is yours too? Again, I know how frustrating it is to waste ingredients. I'm so sorry!