Popcorn Peanut Brittle
Popcorn peanut brittle is a salty-sweet treat, perfect for game day munchies, holiday food gifts, or for no special occasion at all!
Guess what today is?! Come on….guess! OK yes, it’s 4 days until my birthday, but that’s not newsworthy. What IS newsworthy, however, is that today is national popcorn day AND national peanut brittle day! Three cheers for confectionary creations that crack your teeth!
Hey, dentists have families to support too, so I may as well do my part in keeping food on their table by devouring a pan couple of pieces of today’s confectionery creation… POPCORN PEANUT BRITTLE!
This stuff could easily become a new gateway drug. It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and it’s so incredibly easy to make, you won’t believe your eyes.
Most people shy away from making candy and confections because they don’t want to mess with candy thermometers, but I’m here to be your confection cherub…. this is a recipe that is made entirely with the use of a MICROWAVE! See, those little rays are good for more than warming up a cup of coffee!
Of course, if you’re a member of PETF (people for the ethical treatment of food), you are certainly welcome to pop your corn on the stove top, grab a candy thermometer, and go to town.
No matter how you make this popcorn treat, it’s absolutely yummi.
Recommended tools and supplies you may need to make the brittle:
Jelly Roll Pan – The size of a jelly roll pan is slightly larger than a quarter sheet cake pan.
Candy Thermometer
Get some popcorn peanut brittle into your life, as soon as possible!
Popcorn Peanut Brittle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts or shelled raw peanuts
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup popped popcorn
Instructions
- Combine sugar,corn syrup, and salt into a large (4-6 cup capacity) glass bowl.
- Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes; add peanuts and microwave 2 more minutes (using a 1,000-watt microwave. If your microwave is less than 1,000-watt, microwave an additional 4 minutes) CAUTION! The sugar mixture will be VERY hot (beyond the boiling point), so use care when removing it from the microwave
- Carefully stir in the remaining ingredients. The mixture will bubble and may splatter when you stir in the ingredients, so please be careful!
- Pour into a buttered jelly roll pan or quarter sheet cake pan ; shake pan or use a heat resistant silicone spatula to spread the mixture thinly and evenly in the pan.
- Cool until firm, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Gr8 for Superbowl parties!! 🙂
How well does this popcorn brittle store? I’m afraid to make this in fear the popcorn would be mush by day 2. What do you recommend? This recipe looks killer as a gift idea, i just wanna make sure it will hold up long enough to be that gift, lol!
Sarah, you’re absolutely right that the popcorn peanut brittle makes excellent holiday gifts! It’s been a few years since I’ve made any, but I seem to remember that when I kept it in an airtight container, it stayed fresh for 3 or 4 days.