The holidays are coming! And that means hitting the road to visit family and friends with treats in hand. But it’s so hectic, who’s got time to bake? Well, if you’re looking for a goodie that travels easy and won’t take the whole day to make, how about microwave peanut brittle? You’re joking right? Nope. It takes about 10 minutes to prep, cook and pour. I found this recipe in a really old Good Housekeeping magazine and I’ve made it without fail ever since. It’s perfect when you need a holiday treat at the spur of the moment!
The original recipe called for either cashew or pecans, and the recipe is certainly delish with those nuts, or any other nut that strikes your fancy! I started using cocktail peanuts, and it stuck! So here’s my tried and true peanut brittle recipe! Once you make it, it’ll be you’re “go to” last minute recipe, but people will just think you’re a culinary genius!
A bit of advice before you give it a go.
Keep an eye on it throughout the cooking process the first few times you make it. Every microwave is slightly different and you don’t want to burn the brittle. There’s nothing worse than that burning smell...and cleaning that up that burned on mess, well, it’s nightmare.
You’ll also have to move quickly to get the mixture onto the pan, but make sure you don't burn yourself. Nothing worse that a melted sugar burn.
The best part (besides the eatin’), is the clean up. Once you’re done, let the glass pot or glass bowl cool, then fill it with warm water. Any residual stuck on goo will dissolve and voila! Super easy to clean after that!
Peanut Brittle
1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon margarine or butter
½ cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups cocktail peanuts (but any nuts will do) 1 teaspoon baking soda
In a greased 2 quart glass bowl, cook sugar, corn syrup and salt in microwave on high 2-3 minutes until boiling. Cook an additional 4 minutes.
Stir in nuts, butter, vanilla, cinnamon. Cook 2 minutes.
Stir in baking soda until light and foamy.
Quickly pour onto greased cookie sheet. (I use a quarter sheet baking pan with edges). Spread. I lay a piece of parchment paper sprayed with some cooking oil on top, then press down on the brittle to even it out with either a rolling pin, or with my hands (it's really hot so use a pot holder, please).
Cool. Break into pieces. Makes 1 pound. Store in airtight container.
I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit over the years to my liking, but I haven’t changed it much since I first came across it. I hope you enjoy as much as we do! Happy microwaving!
This recipe was originally posted on 12/1/2017 and has been edited.
