The best peanut brittle EVER

In my childhood, I wasn’t a big fan of peanut brittle. When it came to homemade candy, fudge was king. Because…chocolate! As a southerner by birth, I had an appreciation for Momo’s divinity, the airy white sweet studded with pecans created by my Texas grandmother. A good praline, yeah, count me in. I devoured my mom’s haystacks with crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips and peanuts. But peanut brittle didn’t thrill me at all.

My mom used to make good peanut brittle in the microwave until an accident one Christmas sent her to the emergency room with some nasty burns on her hand. As long as we made fudge, no problem. I didn’t miss peanut brittle.

Until I became part of the Engelland clan where peanut brittle is a high art form. Shawn’s grandparents made many batches every year. Their brittle didn’t stick in your teeth. It was airy and easily snapped in two to share a piece. No other peanut brittle I’ve eaten has the same consistency. Other peanut brittles are easy to pass up. A waste of precious holiday calories better spent elsewhere.

The Engelland peanut brittle is addictive. Early in our marriage, Shawn, my Fix-It Farmer, spent hours at his grandparents’ elbows in their tiny 1950s era kitchen while Grandma Evelyn and Grandpa Alvin showed him the secrets of their technique. Batch after batch where he learned to heat the sugar and syrup, stirring with a wooden spoon until it “spins a thread.” At first, he relied on a candy thermometer, but his grandparents – Grandpa Alvin was every bit as good at making it as Grandma Evelyn – urged him to go by look and feel. Shawn calls this “using the Force.” It’s been many years since he used a thermometer.

Now he makes many batches to give away to family and friends during the holidays. I’m the official peanut brittle taste tester. I grade batches and make sure that the “A” grade batches go to Engellands who will know the difference if the brittle is not as airy as usual. The “B” grade goes to his coworkers. Don’t worry that I’m spilling the beans on that slight. He tells them himself. They wonder how good an “A” batch is if the “B” batch is quite delicious.

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Shawn also taught our daughter Rebekah how to make it, so the peanut brittle tradition continues. This year, the two of them will make 10-12 batches.

Shawn uses a Nuwave Induction Cooktop to make peanut brittle because we don’t have a regular stove in our cabin at Plum Prairie Ranch. He made all the candy in the cabin last year, and it went so well we got another induction cooktop for our Texas house. You can make it on your stove.

Engelland Family Peanut Brittle

This is the only peanut brittle I adore. It spoiled me for any other. We may not make Christmas cookies or fudge, but we ALWAYS make peanut brittle.

Here’s the recipe for Engelland Family Peanut Brittle, found in the Midland United Church of Christ cookbook. Midland UCC is a tiny country church a few miles northeast of Sterling, Kansas.

Pro tips: Buy a brand new box of baking soda, so you get the best possible consistency. When the recipe says, “spins a thread,” which means that when you lift the wooden spoon above the pan, a thin “thread” spins from the spoon. It will even float in the air, kind of like a strand of spider web silk. Ewwww! I know, that’s a yucky analogy but an effective visual image.

It takes about an hour for a batch to cool. Flip the brittle over so the flat side is up, and use the handle of a table knife to break the brittle. Store in an air-tight container.

Print

Engelland Family Peanut Brittle

Light and airy, this is the BEST peanut brittle you'll ever eat.

Servings 18 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound raw Spanish peanuts
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the sugar, syrup and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat stirring constantly until mixture “spins a thread.” This may take several minutes and is usually around 230 degrees Fahrenheit, if you're using a candy thermometer.

2. Add peanuts and stir constantly until peanuts are cooked and  light brown in color, which may take 5 minutes or longer. You'll get a delicious peanut smell, when they are cooked.

3. Add butter and remove from heat. 

4. Add soda and stir until mixed. Make sure soda is dissolved but don't over mix, or you'll beat some of the airiness out. Mixture will foam at this point, which is just what you want! 

5. Turn out on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.

6. Allow candy to cool before breaking into serving size pieces. 

I hope you enjoy this peanut brittle as much as we do!

Do you have any treasured family holiday recipes?