Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (2024)

Microwave Peanut Brittle. A super easy and fuss free recipe. Perfect for the holidays and great for making ahead. Give as gifts or have all to yourself!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (1)

Microwave Peanut Brittle is such a lovely easy recipe and great for making at Christmas time or Thanksgiving. It doesn't take long to make and you could also make up a batch and wrap for gifts too!

Why not tie a pretty colored ribbon around a bag, add a gift tag and give to friends or family as a present! I'm sure they'll love this little candy treat!

Here's a photo of some of my Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies I wrapped up and tied with some Christmas ribbon, so you get the idea!

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This recipe really is very easy and fuss-free and perfect for making ahead. You can also swap the peanuts for some other nuts, such as cashews or macadamia nuts. Just experiment with what nuts you fancy and enjoy!

Microwave Peanut Brittle is an old recipe shared by Vickie Harpel Butler.

Vickie says the original recipe came with the instruction book on her Sharp Carousel Microwave in 1981. Whilst the microwave itself has long gone now, the recipe still remains a family favorite with Vickie and every Christmas, Vickie makes her Microwave Peanut Brittle.

It's certainly a very popular recipe and has been made year after year, and is very much loved.

We've got lots of Sweet Treats, Cookies and Candies, perfect for the holidays so please do take a look after you've saved this recipe!

So let's get right to the recipe and see how we make this Microwave Peanut Brittle.

Table of Contents 📋 hide

1) Prep Time

2) Cook Time

3) Serves

4) Ingredients

5) Instructions:

6) Recipe Card

7) Microwave Peanut Brittle

8) Delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas

Prep Time

5 Minutes

Cook Time

10 Minutes

Serves

9 x 13 Pan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
Dash salt
1-½ cups shelled raw peanuts
1 Tablespoon butter
1-½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Heavily butter a baking dish that has been covered with foil. **If you can't get microwave-safe foil, use parchment paper

2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 9 Inch square casserole dish then stir in the peanuts.

**Please note, if the dish is too large for your microwave, you can make this in batches with a dish that suits the capacity of your microwave.

3. Microwave at 100% until light brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout cooking time. May take longer depending upon your microwave.

4. Stir in remaining ingredients until light and foamy. Quickly spread on greased foil in pan. Spread as thinly as possible for brittle candy.

5. Cool then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (3)

Recipe Card

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (4)

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Microwave Peanut Brittle. A super easy and fuss free recipe. Perfect for the holidays and great for making ahead. Give as gifts or have all to yourself!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • Dash salt
  • ½ cups shelled raw peanuts
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Heavily butter a baking dish that has been covered with foil. **If you can't get microwave safe foil, use parchment paper
  2. Combine sugar, corn syrup and salt in a 9 Inch square casserole dish then stir in peanuts.

**Please note, if the dish is too large for your microwave, you can make this in batches with a dish that suits the capacity of your microwave.

  1. Microwave at 100% until light brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout cooking time. May take longer depending upon your microwave.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients until light and foamy. Quickly spread on greased foil in pan. Spread as thinly as possible for brittle candy.
  3. Cool then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 51Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 0g

Delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas

Here's a selection of delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas and Thanksgiving

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (7)

Pecan Caramel Monkey Bread

Pecan Caramel Monkey Bread, Easy recipe for how to make it. Sticky caramel-coated pieces of bread with a sprinkling of chocolate chips & pecan nuts baked in a bundt pan. A great pull-apart bread recipe using store-bought biscuits.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (8)

Mini Almond Pastries

Mini Almond Pastries.
These Mini Almond Pastries have a deliciously smooth, sweet, almond paste filling and are wrapped in crispy, light puff pastry. Quick and easy to make, and perfect for a tea time treat.

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Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos, an easy no-bake cereal bar similar to rice krispie treats. Peanut butter, chocolate & butterscotch with a chocolate butterscotch topping. A chewy, soft, and crispy treat

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (10)

Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies

Easy Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies, AKA Elephant Ears. These are a very easy to make crispy puff pastry cookie, filled with sesame seeds and brown sugar. Great for the holidays!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (11)

Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Bread Rolls)

Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Bread Rolls).
Pani Popo are deliciously soft, fluffy Samoan coconut bread buns, baked in a sweet and thick coconut sauce. Sticky soft bread rolls, ideal for breakfast, dessert or as a snack

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (12)

Honey Bun Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting

Honey Bun Cupcakes are lovely and soft with great flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar and topped with a homemade honey buttercream frosting

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (13)

Mini Donut Balls

Mini Donut Balls.
Delicious homemade mini donut balls, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, using a poolish starter to give tender and flavorful dough. Easy recipe and great for parties

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (14)

Easy English Tiffin

Easy English Tiffin is a delicious no-bake British colonial recipe, made of chocolate, crushed cookies, syrup, and raisins, often served at English afternoon tea.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (15)

Easy Honey Baklava

Easy Honey Baklava. Baklava is a Middle Eastern classic sweet treat, filled with a variety of nuts, honey, citrus, and spices, between layers of crunchy phyllo pastry. Ideal for serving at parties, or to have as a snack. An easy and simple recipe for the best baklava!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (16)

Honey Roasted Nuts

Honey Roasted Nuts, a delicious easy snack, perfect for parties and gifts too! Seasoned with honey and cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (17)

Easy Chocolate Truffles

Easy Chocolate Truffles. Creamy, rich homemade chocolate truffles are easy to make and perfect for gifts.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (18)

Cappuccino Chocolate Truffles

Cappuccino Chocolate Truffles. Creamy, rich chocolate and coffee-flavored homemade truffles are easy to make and perfect for gifts.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (19)

Almond Pastries

Almond Pastries. A perfect treat to have with a cup of tea!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (20)

Orange Chocolate Truffles

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (21)

Mini Homemade Pecan Pies

Mini Homemade Pecan Pies. Delicious individual mini pies all made from scratch and super easy too

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (22)

German Star Cookies

German Star Cookies, also known as Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies are a wonderful cookie for Christmas. They're crisp, chewy and spiced with all things nice! Naturally Gluten - Free too!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (23)

Coconut and Rum White Chocolate Truffles

Coconut and Rum White Chocolate Truffles, luxuriously creamy and decadent, these are easy to make and perfect for gifts and parties!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (24)

Bacon Crack

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (25)

Christmas Crack

Christmas Crack. If you've never tried this you're missing out! Really easy recipe and always a hit at home!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (26)

Irish Cream Chocolate Bark

Irish Cream Chocolate Bark! A delicious chocolate treat loaded with cranberries, cookies and honey spiced nuts. Perfect for the holidays and great for gifts.

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (27)

Cream Filled Brandy Snaps

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (28)

Easy Chocolate Party Pretzels

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (29)

Florentine Cookies

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (30)

Salted Caramel Cashew Nut Popcorn

Salted Caramel Cashew Nut Popcorn.
A delicious combination of salt and caramel coating homemade popcorn. Easy recipe for popping corn

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (31)

White Chocolate Peanut Clusters

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (32)

Chocolate Nut Fudge

Nanny's Chocolate Nut Fudge. A tried and true family recipe and great for gifts! Use a cookie cutter to make pretty shapes too!

Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (33)

Homemade Lemon Mints - Like Altoids

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (34)

Homemade Cinnamon Mints - Like Altoids

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Microwave Peanut Brittle,Easy microwave candy recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my microwave peanut brittle too hard? ›

Why is my peanut brittle too hard? Peanut brittle can end up too hard when the temperature gets too high during the cooking process. With a microwave peanut brittle recipe like this one, you may need to adjust the cooking times based on your microwave.

Why do you add baking soda to peanut brittle? ›

Baking soda is also very important at this stage since it reacts to the heat, creating carbon dioxide that aerates the caramel, enabling it to snap when someone bites into it rather than requiring them to gnaw at it until it breaks or pulls apart.

Can you cook raw peanuts in the microwave? ›

Pour into small microwave safe casserole or pie plate. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes; stir, microwave 2 1/2 minutes longer. Peanuts will be crisp when cool. CAUTION: Cooking time necessary may vary with ovens; remember, peanuts continue to cook as they cool.

Why did my peanut brittle turned out chewy? ›

Why Is My Peanut Brittle Chewy / Sticky / Didn't Harden? This is a temperature issue. Make sure the candy thermometer reaches exactly 300ºF / 149ºC, which is hard crack stage, before pouring onto baking sheet.

Why do you put water in peanut brittle? ›

Water: Water helps the sugar completely dissolve. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors. If you opt for salted butter, you can skip this ingredient. Peanuts: Of course, you'll need peanuts for this classic treat!

How do you keep peanut brittle crispy? ›

It should come as no surprise that storing your peanut brittle in airtight containers is one of the best ways to store peanut brittle. Keeping air out helps maintain your brittle's freshness by minimizing the amount of moisture that might come into contact with your sweet treat.

What happens to peanuts in the microwave? ›

From the results obtained in Table 5, it can be concluded that microwave heating of peanuts is not recommended, even for short periods. This is due to the formation of oxygenated compounds (epoxy and hydroperoxides), as well as conjugated fatty acids.

Why can't you put peanut butter in the microwave? ›

Peanut butter can burn quickly since it doesn't contain much water, and you'll want to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of your bowl.

Can you eat raw peanuts without cooking them? ›

How to Use Peanuts. Peanuts can be eaten raw, blanched, roasted, boiled, fried, powdered, or made into peanut butter. Eating them with their thin, papery skin is most nutritionally beneficial, as the skin contains the many antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Why is peanut brittle bad for you? ›

Outside of that single ingredient, peanut brittle is painfully unhealthy. It contains: sugar, corn syrup, and butter, all of which are unhealthy for your body in different ways. But, peanut brittle becomes terrible for your teeth once all of those ingredients are combined into the final product.

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.

How do you harden peanut brittle? ›

I have experimented heating the candy between 285-300 degrees. I like heating to 300 if it is immediately taken off the heat and cooled. It hardens quickly if you go over 300 even a little bit. Most people have had success with the brittle at any temp in between 285-300, but like I said, I prefer closer to 300 degrees.

How can I soften peanut brittle? ›

You can try placing the stale peanut brittle on a baking sheet and gently heating it in an oven at a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C), for a few minutes. This can help to soften it a bit and restore some of its original texture.

Is peanut brittle supposed to be hard? ›

What Makes it Brittle? The sugar will be cooked to 300ºF (149ºC)—hard crack stage; which when set up would be hard like a lollipop.

How do you soften hard peanuts? ›

Thoroughly rinse the raw unshelled peanuts in water. Put the water, salt, seasoning, peanuts in a large stockpot, bring to a boil: Cover and reduce the heat just enough to maintain a low boil. Boil for 2 to 3 hours or longer (some boil their peanuts all day), until peanuts reach desired level of softness.

Can you microwave peanut butter to make it soft? ›

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.

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