Easy Pecan Brittle Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is pecan brittle made of? ›

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.

Baking soda is a key ingredient in peanut brittle. It's what aerates the candy, giving it a nice light crunch. Why didn't my homemade peanut brittle get hard? 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.

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.

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.

Brittleness is a material property that describes its tendency to fracture with little to no plastic deformation when stress is applied to it. Brittle behavior results when atoms in a material cannot slip past each other while maintaining the overall integrity of the atomic lattice structure.

Pecan Brittle is a delicious, sweet and buttery homemade candy that is loaded with pecans and a hint of cinnamon.

Brittles are typically composed mostly of sugar, while toffees contain a fair amount of butter and in some cases milk. This makes toffees fuller and richer in taste, while brittles are more purely sweet and sugary. Brittles are also much thinner than most toffees.

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!

Praline is a softer candy, while brittle is very crunchy. This is determined by what temperature the sugar mixture reaches. At a lower temperature, the sugar, when cooled, will be chewy and soft. If cooked to a higher temperature, or "hard crack" stage, the sugar will be brittle when cooled.

Pecan Brittle should be stored in the pantry and away from light when unopened. Once opened, it can either be kept in the pantry or stored in the freezer to extend its shelf life. Avoid storing pecan brittle in the refrigerator as it will cause the brittle to soften.

What is the white stuff on pecan? ›

Powdery Mildew

The white powdery fungus may disappear later, but affected nuts will have a brown russet appearance (Figure 8). Nuts may be small and not reach their full size when they are infected early in the growing season, or the shucks may split prematurely and kernels may be shriveled.

White powdery fungus, high temperatures, dry conditions, immature foliage – Powdery mildew (Fungus – Microsphaera alvi) – When pecans become infected with this fungus [powmil], they appear to be covered with a white, powdery material.

You will want the cookie sheet to be non-stick. Use parchment paper, a silicone baking sheet or a greased cookie sheet. Spread the peanut brittle as thin as you can. Immediately add your sea salt.

If your peanut brittle reached 311°F but is a pale milky color, it's likely the candy cooked too quickly.

The mixture will foam and grow so make sure to stir constantly to completely incorporate. Working quickly, pour into prepared 10×15 pan. To keep the brittle light and airy, do not spread or flatten the mixture.

The praline is a southern tradition, commonly made with sugar, corn syrup, milk, butter, and pecan halves. It's a confection with a history as rich as its flavor.

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.

Pecan is a hardwood. Unfortunately, many people do not consider it a true hardwood, given its low density. However, the term hardwood refers to trees that shed leaves during fall. Because pecan does not retain its leaves all year round, it is hardwood.

Brittles are typically composed mostly of sugar, while toffees contain a fair amount of butter and in some cases milk. This makes toffees fuller and richer in taste, while brittles are more purely sweet and sugary. Brittles are also much thinner than most toffees.