Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my microwave peanut brittle chewy? ›

Store your microwave peanut brittle in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid storing in the fridge because any condensation could make the brittle chewy.

Microwave oven roasting: Pour peanuts into colander or wire basket and wet thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt. Pour into small microwave safe casserole or pie plate. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes; stir, microwave 2 1/2 minutes longer.

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.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray. Place the pan on a heat-proof trivet or cooling rack and set aside.

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.

If you overcook the brittle, it could be bitter or burnt. If you undercook it, the brittle won't properly set and the end result will be sticky.

For a light roast, microwave on HIGH for 2-1/2 minutes; stir, microwave 2-1/2 minutes longer. For a darker roast, stir and microwave 1 minute longer, in 30 second increments. Season to taste. Peanuts will be crisp when cool.

Cooking times were considerably shorter in the microwave ovens than in the conventional ovens. Reduced power was used for microwave cooking of roasts, except that rib eye roasts were cooked at full power for the first 5 min.

Some recommend soaking the raw peanuts for several hours (6-8) in salted water to reduce cooking time. I've never soaked them myself but if you have time, and plan ahead, give it a go. To begin the cooking process, fill a large stock pot with water, add salt and bring to a boil then add the peanuts.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir sugar and salt with melted butter to dissolve completely. Remove saucepan from heat, add peanuts, and stir to coat completely; immediately pour onto prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until brittle, at least 30 minutes.

How do you keep peanut brittle crispy? ›

The candy will attract moisture from the air, making it unpleasantly sticky instead of shatteringly crisp. Once it's completely cool, transfer it to an airtight container.

Didn't get it hot enough. You have to hit hard crack stage heat or it's not going to harden. From internet: Hard-Crack Stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 149 – 154 C (300 – 310 F.) It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it.

Whether it's during the cooking, cooling, or storage process, moisture and humidity can ruin the best batch of brittle in minutes, leaving you with a soggy, sticky mess. This is why eliminating moisture anywhere you can is our top tip on how to store peanut brittle.

To store: Once it's completely cooled, store peanut brittle in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate as the moisture from the fridge will cause the brittle to soften. Store for 6-8 weeks. To Freeze: Peanut brittle can be frozen and stored up to 3 months.

Heavy 6 quart Dutch Oven pot. Mine is an old 1970's Club Aluminum. It's perfect! You need a heavy THICK pot so it won't scorch.

When one of those sugar molecules reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit, it melts, which softens it. This is why bread can actually feel soft and fluffy when it first comes out of the microwave. But then when it cools, that molecule recrystallizes and hardens, causing the bread to become chewy and hard.

It all boils down to the natural sugars found in flour. Flour, milled from wheat, contains gluten (a type of protein) and sugars (which form starch when their molecules are chained together). When these sugars are heated, they melt and then quickly recrystallize, resulting in an undesirable chewy texture.

Low and slow. Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

The peanuts will be slightly underdone (a little chewy) when you remove them from the oven, but they will continue to cook once you remove them. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.