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My Spicy Peanut Brittle recipe starts with the sweet and ends with the heat. It’s a kicked-up version of traditional peanut brittle with no candy thermometer needed.

The first time I made this my husband took a big bite and said, “I’m not really getting any heat”. I told him to just wait a minute. And I was right – there it was…not to hot…just the right amount of heat. Don’t be frightened by the name of this recipe, Spicy Peanut Brittle because it has everything a good peanut brittle has – the sweet and the salty. I’ve just added a little bit of cayenne pepper to the recipe to intensify the sweetness and saltiness and bring a little bit of heat.

How to make spicy peanut brittle

This recipe calls for simple ingredients:

Sugar
Corn syrup
Water
Butter
Vanilla
Cayenne pepper
Baking soda
Salted peanuts

Start by adding the sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, vanilla, and cayenne a large stovetop pan.
Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or a spatula just once to ensure that everything is incorporated.
Cook the mixture at medium heat. If you see that some of the sugar is not dissolved, just push it down with a rubber spatula. But do not stir the mixture. If you must, you can just swirl the pan but it’s best to just let it make a golden brown caramel.
Cook the caramel until it is a golden brown color and it coats the back of a spoon without dripping off.
Now for the magic and the ingredient that makes the caramel “brittle”. The baking soda – add the baking soda and stir in the peanuts using a wooden spoon. You’ll need to do this step quickly as the baking soda will cause the mixture to really bubble up.
Quickly pour onto the baking sheet and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

How to store Peanut Brittle

Storing peanut brittle is usually not a problem at my house, because everyone eats it as fast as I can make it. But, I do have good news because you can store it. Just place it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature and it will last up to a month. So storage makes this a great make-ahead treat or just to have it on hand for the sweet tooth monster.

Krazy kitchen mom tips

I like to have my ingredients measured out ahead of time for this recipe.
Prep your baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat so it’s ready when your caramel sauce is ready because once you add the baking soda and peanuts you need to work fast so it doesn’t set up or harden before you get is out on the baking sheet.
Be patient – it takes 30-35 minutes for the caramel to get to the point when you add the baking soda and peanuts.
Be careful! The caramel is very very hot and could easily cause burns. It’s best not to have young children running around the kitchen when you are working with hot caramel.

other easy recipes you may like

Gingersnap Truffles – No-bake, three-ingredient bite-sized cookies
Three Cheese Cranberry Flatbread – A perfect holiday appetizer
Blueberry Lemon Muffin Tops – No muffins here, just the tops
Tortellini Spinach Pasta Salad – Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner
Chili Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes with a Tex Mex flair