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4.77 from 17 votes

Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe

Microwave Peanut Butter brittle recipe is an easy sweet, salty and buttery peanut brittle that takes minutes to make in a microwave oven. No- fuss, full proof method that requires no stove top candy thermometer! Vintage Christmas dessert
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dessert Recipes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brittle, peanut butter
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 271kcal
Author: Trisha Haas - Salty Side Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup peanuts I used dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Add white sugar and corn syrup into a large microwave safe bowl.
  • Microwave for 3 1/2- 4 minutes (see note on times becuase it could be less depending on your microwave). You want a large bowl because as you microwave, the mixture will grow in size and bubble.
  • Mix well (and quickly) when cooking is complete. Add peanuts and return to microwave for 2-3 minutes. Mixture will bubble and double in size again and begin to brown in color.
  • Stir well and quickly after cooking. Your sugar starts to harden at each step so move quickly. Add butter and vanilla and cook for 1 minute more. Mix well. quickly. Add baking soda and mix. Mixture will change color and look cloudy. This is normal.
  • Quickly pour into prepared pan and gently spread, but not too thin. It wont spread like chocolate so do not panic. If it seems too thick in some places, you can spread a bit with a spatula.
  • Let set to harden. I put mine in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden quickly but the normal way is 1 hour on the counter naturally cooling. Once hard, break into bite size pieces.
  • Store in an airtight container on the counter. The fridge may soften the sugar so its best left on the counter.

Video

Notes

Scalding sugar

When working with sugar, even in the microwave, its easy to BURN it. The times in this microwave peanut brittle are based on my microwave, but you may need to shave 30 seconds off if you have a very powerful microwave. In the pictures below, I made peanut brittle at the full times listed AND redid it with a minute shaved off of the 1st and 2nd microwave times.
You can see the color difference. It also tastes less roasted, but the consistency is the same.
See full article for video and tips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g