10-Minute Microwave Peanut Brittle + Video
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Microwave Peanut Brittle is a sweet treat made in 10 minutes, but it looks like you spent hours! Make this easy recipe for holiday gifts.
Recipes Like 10 Minute Microwave Peanut Brittle
We absolutely love peanuts and peanut butter desserts around here.
These peanut buttery No-Bake Avalanche Cookies really take the cake for being easy and delicious!
Another favorite for the holidays (or anytime, really) are soft 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies, made from scratch. They make the perfect holiday food gift, too.
We all have those moments where we simply need an easy sugar fix, and there are few homemade candies out there that cover all the bases quite like microwave peanut brittle.
Easy to make? Absolutely.
Sweet but not too sweet? Check.
Perfect for curing a crunchy food craving? Truth.
This low-hassle treat is one of our favorite go-to candies. Especially this time of year, when we need a quick and easy gift for our favorite mail carrier or special neighbors.
Tips for making microwave peanut brittle
- Prepare the recipe ingredients in advance.
Working with heated sugar can be tricky. It takes a bit for sugar to reach the correct temperature. Once it does, it will become a golden color. At that point, it doesn’t take much longer for the sugar to burn (and ruin your candy).
To help avoid this, prepare and measure all ingredients in advance so that you can work quickly.
- Watch the sugar as it cooks.
When heating the sugar, always start at the low-end of the heat times and work your way up, watching for the sugar to turn the correct light gold color.
The sugar will continue to cook after you remove it from the microwave, so if you’re unsure, it’s better to remove the bowl too early rather than too late.
- Tips for cleaning the pan and kitchen counters
Even if you’ve covered everything with cooking spray, you’re bound to get some hard candy stuck to your bowls or utensils.
If this happens, soak them in a mixture of hot water, dish soap, and white vinegar for one hour. The candy will either dissolve or easily break off with light pressure.
- How to fix peanut brittle that feels greasy.
Because you’re using cooking spray, the finished candy may feel a little greasy. If it does, use a paper towel to lightly dab away excess oil before storing it.
- How to store homemade candy
Store the brittle in a dry, airtight container at room temperature. If you need to stack pieces in the container, add sheets of wax paper between the pieces.
Watch the recipe video!
There’s a quick 1-minute video in this post. Watch it to see just how easy it is to make microwave peanut brittle!
Tools for making homemade candy
- Large, microwave-safe bowl with a handle– I use my 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup for tasks like this. And it is the best bowl for making and pouring pancakes.
- Jelly Roll Pans (baking sheets with sides) – I have a stack of these! I use them for everything from cooking, baking, barbecuing, crafts and more!
- Candy Thermometer– Cooking with hot sugar can be tricky. Using a thermometer will help you monitor the temperature properly.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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10-Minute Microwave Peanut Brittle + Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Spray a baking sheet generously with cooking spray, then set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add granulated sugar and light corn syrup. Use a spatula to stir until combined. The mixture will be very sticky and difficult to stir near the end; this is okay.
- Microwave sugar syrup mixture on HIGH for 4 minutes, then stir. Return bowl to microwave and heat for another 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture turns a light golden color. Be careful not to overheat; a dark brown hue means the sugar has burned.
- Remove bowl from microwave and quickly begin to add the following ingredients: vanilla, butter, the prepared spices from step 1, and the peanuts. Stir the mixture so that all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will lighten and may rise or appear “fluffy.”
- Spray rim of the bowl with more cooking spray, then pour the brittle mixture on the prepared baking sheet. Working quickly, use a spatula or a spoon to smooth the peanut brittle out in a layer roughly the same thickness as the peanuts.
- Let peanut brittle cool and harden for at least 1 hour. Once cooled and firm, use your hands to break the brittle into sizes of your choice (usually 2×2 inch in size)
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
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Let me start off with saying I love your recipes! I have printed numerous ones! As usual I wanting to print this brittle one, but there seems to be a glitch in something, every time I bring it up to print it is the potato soup recipe. Which also sounds great. I have tried many different ways to open it to print as well..Thanks for your
help! Martha
Thanks so much, Martha! The link is fixed, Enjoy!
While I haven't made this specific recipe, I have an almost identical one that I've been making for probably 30+ years. People don't always believe me when I tell them how simple and quick it is in the microwave because it tastes professionally made. One note, I use regular salted Planter's cocktail peanuts in mine, in case any viewers might be wondering if that's possible. Also, cleanup is easier than you think. Once the hot bowl has cooled, fill it with water and let it sit for a bit. The brittle bits just melts away, no scrubbing or chisel required!
Would pecans work in this recipe ?
Yes
I have a similar recipe that worked every time until I got a higher wattage microwave. My original recipe was from the early 80s and the microwave was a lower wattage. I was unable to successfully adjust the recipe to lower cooking times and still cook it to a hard crack temperature. What wattage microwave are you using for this recipe?
I've successfully made a similar recipe to this with a 1250 watt microwave set at 70% using the lower end cook times in this recipe. Good luck.
Is the peanut brittle recipe in the cookbook? Does not really say.
I’ve used this recipe for many years and have used peanuts, pecans or pistachios. Easy and delicious.
I use Spanish Raw nuts
Made the peanut brittle everyone loves it but wondering if i can leave out the nutmeg
My hubby is a very picky homemade baking sort of person. 🙂 This is ALWAYS my go to recipe…. he really likes it! Thanks for sharing
I made this recipe at the minimum heAt and it burned. Is it because I used Golden Corn Syrup…..could I just lower the heat next time?
I used to dread making peanut brittle but not anymore. This recipe is such a time saver!
What is the size of your baking sheet? I have a few different sizes and am not sure which one to use. Thanks.