Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe (VIDEO) - Cleverly Simple (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my homemade peanut brittle get hard? ›

The main reason why peanut brittle doesn't get hard and have the crunch we expect is because the sugar was not cooked long enough. The sugar needs to be cooked to what is called the hard crack stage, 300ºF.

Be sure to use a candy thermometer to ensure it reaches 300 degrees F or hard crack stage. What does baking soda do to peanut brittle? Adding a little baking soda aerates the peanut brittle causing it to expand slightly for a crunchy texture that won't break your teeth when you chew it.

The candy will attract moisture from the air, making it unpleasantly sticky instead of shatteringly crisp. Once it's completely cool, transfer it to an airtight container.

Sprinkle with salt. Pour into small microwave safe casserole or pie plate. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes; stir, microwave 2 1/2 minutes longer.

Didn't get it hot enough. You have to hit hard crack stage heat or it's not going to harden. From internet: Hard-Crack Stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 149 – 154 C (300 – 310 F.) It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it.

Peanut brittle turning white, often referred to as "sugaring," is typically the result of crystallization of the sugar in the candy. This crystallization can make the brittle appear white or cloudy rather than having a clear, glass-like consistency.

Use a candy thermometer!

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.

Baking soda releases bubbles into our candy (you can see this on a more extreme level in my honeycomb recipe, which uses 5x the amount of baking soda!). This makes the brittle more delicate, crisp, and less chewy, which ultimately makes it more snappy and less likely to obnoxiously stick to your teeth.

A more hands-on meal would mean a washing-up break, but simply pouring your peanuts into the co*ke bottle allowed for a protein boost that you could sip while working. Since then, the salty-sweet pairing of sugary co*ke and savory peanuts has spread across the South, from the Carolinas all the way to Texas.

I don't recommend substituting honey, molasses, or agave for the corn syrup. Those other liquid sugars have impurities that will burn at the higher temperature of making caramel, leading to a bitter-tasting brittle.

Why does my peanut brittle have bubbles? ›

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.

- Preheat your oven to a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C). - Break the stale peanut brittle into smaller pieces. - Place the brittle pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. - Heat the brittle in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, checking frequently to avoid overcooking.

What's important to know is that the corn syrup controls the grain of the brittle so adding too little and you have a grainy textured brittle, while adding too much will result in a stringy and sticky brittle.

Heavy 6 quart Dutch Oven pot. Mine is an old 1970's Club Aluminum. It's perfect! You need a heavy THICK pot so it won't scorch.

Microwave the jar on a 50% power setting for 45 seconds. Peanut butter is a peanut oil based product. It will melt and you can pour it out of the jar. Then, it will gel again.

Place the peanut butter in the microwave, and heat it for 30 seconds. Once the 30 seconds is up, stir the peanut butter to makes sure it's melting evenly. Place the peanut butter back in the microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again. This will probably take a few rounds to get to your desired consistency.

Why is it too hard? Using baking soda usually prevents peanut brittle from being too, well, brittle. However, if you cook the candy past the set temperature or overwork the candy once you spread it out onto the cookie sheet, that can cause it to become very hard and difficult to bite through.

Peanut butter can spark in the microwave due to the high oil content and the presence of small particles of peanuts or salt. These particles can act as tiny conductors of electricity, creating arcing, or sparks, when they are heated.