Peanut Brittle: 14 Grandma Christmas Candies That Disappear From the Tin Before the Cookies Do

Peanut brittle is the candy grandma made the first cold week of November, when the pecans were cracked and the cookie tins came down from the top shelf. It takes three main things, sugar, syrup and nuts, plus a spoon of baking soda that makes the candy foam up light and easy to bite. Cooks have been making nut brittle for generations, and every family swears by its own version. Below you will find grandma’s classic recipe, a chocolate-dipped peanut brittle, a 10-minute microwave batch, and 11 more brittles made with pecans, cashews, almonds, sesame and even pumpkin seeds. Use a candy thermometer or watch for a deep amber color, keep your pan buttered, and you will be snapping pieces into tins all season..

Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

Grandma never owned a fancy candy mold, just one heavy pot, a wooden spoon and a buttered sheet pan. Every November she cooked sugar, corn syrup and water until it turned the color of an old penny, stirred in raw peanuts, then whisked in butter and baking soda so the entire pot puffed up like a golden cloud. She poured it thin, let it cool, and snapped it into jagged pieces for the tin, right beside her no-bake rocky road squares. This is the peanut brittle every other recipe on this list grew out of..

You will need: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, 2 cups raw Spanish peanuts, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda.

How to make it: 1. Butter a large sheet pan and set every ingredient out before you start. 2. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 240°F, add peanuts, then keep stirring to 300°F on a candy thermometer, when the syrup is deep amber. 3. Off the heat, stir in butter, vanilla, salt and baking soda, pour at once, spread thin, cool 1 hour and break into pieces.

Hammer-Cracked Golden Peanut Brittle

Some families do not break their brittle by hand at all. They pour one big slab, let it set overnight, and let the kids crack it with a little wooden mallet on Christmas Eve, which is half the fun. This golden peanut brittle is cooked a few degrees lighter, so it stays pale, buttery and almost honey-flavored. Pile the shards into grandma’s old cookie tins with wax paper between the layers so they do not stick. Tap gently; you want big pieces, not dust.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 1 1/2 cups roasted salted peanuts, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 295°F, until light golden. 2. Stir in peanuts and butter for 1 minute, then add baking soda and vanilla. 3. Pour onto a buttered pan in one thick slab, cool completely and crack with a clean wooden mallet.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Brittle

Half a shard dipped in dark chocolate turns a plain candy into something that looks like it came from a fancy shop downtown. The chocolate softens the sweet crunch, and a few flakes of sea salt on top make people reach for a second piece. Dip only half, so everyone can still see the peanuts shining through the glassy candy. If your family already loves no-bake chocolate salami, this candy will be gone before New Year’s. Make the brittle a day ahead and dip the next morning.

You will need: 1 batch peanut brittle broken into 3-inch pieces, 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, flaky sea salt.

How to make it: 1. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second bursts, stirring until smooth. 2. Dip each piece halfway, let the extra drip off and lay it on parchment. 3. Sprinkle with sea salt and chill 15 minutes until the chocolate sets.

Extra-Nutty Peanut Brittle

Some folks want candy with peanuts in it. Others want peanuts barely held together by candy, and this one is for them. You simply double the nuts and pour the batch a little thicker, so every bite is more crunch than sugar. It reminds plenty of Southerners of the peanut candy their grandparents bought at the country store. Serve it next to your favorite peanut butter desserts for a full peanut table. Use roasted peanuts so the extra nuts taste toasty, not raw.

You will need: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 2 1/2 cups roasted peanuts, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Off the heat, stir in peanuts, butter, salt and baking soda all at once. 3. Spread into a thick layer on a buttered pan, cool 45 minutes and break into chunky pieces.

Pecan Brittle

In pecan country, brittle is made with whatever the backyard tree dropped that fall. Pecan halves give a softer, buttery crunch than peanuts, and the deep amber syrup tastes almost like praline. A pinch of cinnamon makes the kitchen smell like Christmas morning. It is the candy to bring when you know someone is bringing pecan snowball cookies too. Toast the pecans first for 6 minutes at 350°F; it makes a big difference.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 2 cups pecan halves toasted, 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Off the heat, stir in pecans, butter, cinnamon and salt, then the baking soda. 3. Pour thin on a buttered pan, cool 1 hour and break into pieces.

Mixed Nut Brittle

When the holiday nut bowl is half empty, grandma would turn the leftovers into candy. Almonds, peanuts and a few cashews all go into one pot, and every piece looks a little different, which makes the tin more fun to dig through. Big almonds stay crunchy while peanuts add that classic flavor. Tie it up in cellophane and add it to your homemade gifts in a jar for neighbors and teachers. Chop any big nuts roughly so the brittle breaks cleanly.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 2 cups mixed unsalted nuts, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F, until amber. 2. Stir in nuts, butter and salt, then baking soda. 3. Spread on a buttered pan, cool fully and snap into shards.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

This is the shortcut church ladies have passed around on recipe cards for decades, and it still works. Everything happens in one big glass bowl in about 10 minutes, with no candy thermometer at all. The color tells you when it is done: pale gold, like weak tea. It is a great first candy to make with kids, with a grown-up handling the hot bowl, right next to slow cooker Christmas candy. This version comes out lighter than stovetop, so watch the bowl, because microwaves vary a lot.

You will need: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup raw peanuts, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon baking soda, pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Microwave sugar and corn syrup in a large glass bowl 4 minutes, stir in peanuts and cook 3 to 4 minutes more until light golden. 2. Stir in butter and vanilla, cook 1 minute, then stir in baking soda and salt until foamy. 3. Pour onto a buttered pan, spread thin and cool 30 minutes before breaking.

Almond Brittle With Sea Salt

Almond brittle is the grown-up cousin of the classic. Sliced or unblanched almonds, a little brown sugar for depth, and a heavy sprinkle of flaky salt on top give it that sweet and salty snap people love with coffee. Pour it straight onto a rimmed baking sheet so it sets in big, glassy sheets. It looks lovely layered into Christmas treat jars with a ribbon on top. Add the salt while the candy is still warm so it sticks.

You will need: 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 2 cups unblanched almonds, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugars, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Stir in almonds and butter, then baking soda. 3. Pour onto a lined baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, cool and break into large pieces.

Cashew Brittle

Cashews make the most buttery brittle of them all. They are soft enough that the candy almost melts on your tongue after the first crunch. Use roasted, salted cashews and skip the extra salt. This was the fancy option at many church bazaars, the one that sold out before noon. Set a plate of it out with your retro holiday relish tray and watch it disappear first. Leave the cashews intact; they look prettier through the glossy candy.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 2 cups roasted salted cashews, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon baking soda.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Off the heat stir in cashews, butter and vanilla, then baking soda. 3. Spread on a buttered pan, cool 1 hour and break into pieces.

Jaggery Peanut Brittle (Chikki)

In India, peanut brittle is called chikki, and it is made with jaggery, an unrefined cane sugar that tastes like molasses and caramel at once. The town of Lonavala is famous for it, and travelers buy boxes on the way home. The candy is pressed flat and cut into neat squares while still warm. It is a wonderful twist for anyone who loves old-country Christmas treats from other kitchens. Look for jaggery at Indian grocery stores or use dark brown sugar.

You will need: 1 cup grated jaggery or dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ghee or butter, 2 tablespoons water, 1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts with skins rubbed off, pinch of cardamom.

How to make it: 1. Melt jaggery with ghee and water, cooking until a drop in cold water snaps, about 8 minutes. 2. Stir in peanuts and cardamom quickly. 3. Press flat on a greased board with a rolling pin, cut into squares while warm and cool completely.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Hulled green pumpkin seeds, called pepitas, make a brittle that looks like stained glass and tastes nutty and a little earthy. It is a smart choice when someone at the table cannot eat peanuts. A pinch of pumpkin pie spice keeps it in the holiday mood. Pioneer families made candy from whatever seeds and syrup they had, much like the maple snow candy Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about. Toast the pepitas until they start to pop, then pull them off the heat.

You will need: 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 cups hulled pumpkin seeds toasted, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Stir in pumpkin seeds, butter, spice and salt, then baking soda. 3. Spread thin on parchment, cool 45 minutes and break into shards.

Sesame Seed Brittle Bars

Sesame brittle is one of the oldest candies in the world, made from Greece to India to the Middle East. Toasted sesame seeds bound with honey or sugar are rolled thin and cut into neat bars while warm. They taste nutty and light, not too sweet, and they pack beautifully because they stack flat. Tuck a few bars beside the rugelach in the cookie tin for a nice change from chocolate. Roll the mixture between two sheets of parchment so it does not stick.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sesame seeds, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until golden, about 5 minutes. 2. Cook sugar, honey and butter to 300°F, then stir in seeds and salt. 3. Roll thin between parchment, cut into bars while warm and cool completely.

Coconut Macadamia Brittle

This one tastes like a holiday on a tropical island. Rich macadamia nuts and toasted coconut flakes go into a buttery amber candy that crunches and then turns almost creamy. It is pricier than peanuts, so save it for the special tin, the one for your best neighbor. It pairs well with homemade marshmallows in a cocoa gift basket. Toast the coconut separately, because it burns much faster than the nuts.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, 3/4 cup toasted coconut flakes, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 300°F. 2. Stir in macadamias, coconut, butter and salt, then baking soda. 3. Pour on a buttered pan, cool 1 hour and break into pieces.

Hazelnut Brittle Crumble

Every batch leaves crumbs at the bottom of the tin, and grandma never wasted them. Crushed brittle makes the best topping for ice cream, cheesecake and even morning oatmeal. Hazelnut brittle is especially good here, with a deep, toasty flavor. Fold a cup into softened vanilla ice cream for one of the easiest no-churn Christmas ice cream desserts you will ever make. Store the crumble in a jar so it stays crisp for weeks.

You will need: 1 batch hazelnut brittle or leftover brittle pieces, 1 quart vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup caramel sauce.

How to make it: 1. Seal brittle in a heavy zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin into small bits. 2. Soften ice cream 10 minutes, fold in half the crumble and swirl in caramel. 3. Freeze 2 hours and serve topped with the rest of the crumble.