Some candies come and go with the trends. Peanut brittle has stayed put. It’s the treat many people remember from a grandmother’s kitchen or the jar on a country store counter, and it still shows up on holiday tables across the South every year.
If you’ve only had brittle from a mass-produced bag, the difference is mostly about the peanut. Virginia peanuts are large, so each piece delivers plenty of nut in every bite, and the roasted flavor comes through the sweetness instead of getting buried under it.
We make it two ways. Classic Peanut Brittle is exactly what it sounds like. Chocolatey Covered Peanut Brittle takes the same brittle and dips it, which turns a simple candy into something that feels more like a gift.
Then there are Peanut Squares. They’re a close cousin to brittle, made with roasted peanuts set in a sweet, bite-sized square, which makes them easier to share and pack in a lunch or road trip bag. If brittle is too hard on your teeth, or you just want something you can eat without breaking it apart first, the squares are the answer.
Brittle is good straight out of the tin, but it has other uses too:
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Crush it over ice cream. Put a few pieces in a bag, tap them with a rolling pin, and sprinkle the pieces over vanilla ice cream.
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Serve it with coffee. A small piece of brittle next to a cup of coffee makes an easy dessert after a big meal.
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Add it to a cookie tray. It brings a different texture to a holiday platter that’s mostly soft cookies.
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Tuck it into stockings. It travels well and keeps well, which makes it practical for mailing and gifting.
Brittle’s one enemy is humidity. Moisture in the air can make it sticky, so store it in a cool, dry place and keep the lid on tight. An airtight container is even better once it’s been opened.
If you can’t choose between brittle and squares, our Sweet Tooth Basket gathers several of our sweets in one gift box. It’s a good way to find out which one becomes the household favorite.
