Easy Pecan Brittle Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Ethel M pecan brittle recipe? ›

2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of bacon bits, 1 cup of light corn syrup, 2 to 3 cups of pecans, quarter cup unsalted butter, half cup of water, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons baking soda. Put sugar, corn syrup, water and butter into a large pot and stir. using a candy thermometer. Cook the brittle on the stove.

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.

This is a temperature issue. Make sure the candy reaches exactly 300ºF / 149ºC, which is hard crack stage, before pouring onto baking sheet. See “Equipment Used to Make Peanut Brittle” for my recommended thermometer. If you're peanut brittle is still chewy after it cools, you may be able to save it!

Pralines have a lot in common with nut brittle, with the difference being mostly in the addition of cream and the cooking temperature––the sugary syrup used to coat pralines is heated to a soft-ball consistency, a lower temperature than the hard-crack stage of peanut brittle.

In a nonstick saucepan, heat and stir sugar, corn syrup, water and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Over high heat, using a candy thermometer, cook sugar mixture to a hard crack stage (290 °F). Add pecans and butter and cook to 300 °F stirring all the time to keep the nuts from burning.

The brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

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.

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.

If your peanut brittle reached 311°F but is a pale milky color, it's likely the candy cooked too quickly. It reached the correct temperature but didn't cook long enough to undergo sufficient Maillard reactions and develop the characteristic brown color and rich, roasted flavor. Next time, cook at a lower temperature.

Put the pecans in a pot and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil; boil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain pecans in a colander and allow them to cool so they can be handled. Crack them open and you'll find out just how easy it is to get a whole pecan out of the shell.

How do you keep candied pecans from sticking together? ›

Stir them every 10 minutes or so to avoid them clumping together, or you can just break them apart with a spatula or your hands later. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

One possible reason is pecan scab. Scab was common this year because conditions were favorable. The scab interferes with photosynthesis which reduces the tree's ability to use the energy from photosynthesis to grow pecans. It could also be a lack of nutrients.

To store: Store peanut brittle (once it's completely cooled) 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.

Avoid The Humidity

Plan to make your pralines on a cool, dry day. If it's humid or rainy, as it was the first time I made pralines, the candy might end up with a more sugary, grainy texture.

Mascot Pecan Shelling Company - Our Peanut Brittle is now available nationwide at The Dollar Tree!

Why is it too hard? Using baking soda usually prevents peanut brittle from being too, well, brittle. However, if you cook the candy past the set temperature or overwork the candy once you spread it out onto the cookie sheet, that can cause it to become very hard and difficult to bite through.

How to Create Your Own Pecan Meal. For a hearty substitute to flour or breading ingredients, round up your favorite pecan nuts and grind them up to make pecan flour. Using a food processor would be the easiest and quickest way to make pecan flour. If you don't have a food processor, a blender can work.

Peanut Brittle Ingredients

Sugar: This sweet peanut brittle starts with a cup of white sugar. Corn syrup: Light corn syrup prevents graininess, ensuring a perfectly creamy texture. Water: Water helps the sugar completely dissolve. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors.

Mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup in 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to 240°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water. Stir in butter and peanuts.