Cooking Peanut Brittle

by Margaret
(Avinger, TX USA)

When cooking peanut brittle, you add peanuts to the cooked liquid and it starts to set up. It is so thick that you can not get the mixture up to the next heat stage. What is happening?

I cook the water, sugar and karo to 280 degrees, then I add the peanuts brown. But the mixture is so thick it never returns to the liquid state in order for it to reach the next heat stage.

The peanuts get so brown that you can not put the thermometer back in to get to the next stage.

I tried to add a little more butter but this did not help. I went ahead and added the salt and baking soda stirring to let the salt and baking soda to cook in, then poured it out into a pan, and it setup hard, but was not airy and tasted mostly of salt.

My girlfriend and I believe that it is the sugar we are using.

Please help!

Comments for Cooking Peanut Brittle

Click here to add your own comments

Mar 30, 2012

Brittle too hard after adding peanuts NEW
by: Anonymous

Here is your problem and the solution. You waited too late to put in the peanuts, I use 235 degrees and 240 if I don't want to cook them as long. Both temperatures will work great. Then here's how we do, until you put in the peanuts, no stiring, after you put in the peanuts, stir constantly, you don't want the peanuts to set on the bottom of the pan at all. We wait until we take our brittle off the burner at 297 degrees to add the butter, then mix the butter well before adding the baking soda. Whip the soda in rapidly and only till its incorporated, pour out immediately on buttered pans and we do not bother it by stretching, that makes a harder brittle. Ours is very easy to chew and some refer to it as angle brittle. My credentials, I make over 600 pounds in November/December each year.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Candy Making Questions & Answers.