Pecan Brittle

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

This post is sponsored by Fisher® Nuts. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.

Do you have any recipes that bring on a wave of nostalgia when you make or eat them?

I spent a lot of hours in the kitchen with my Nana when I was a child and often find myself reminiscing on those times when I am in my kitchen now.

It’s one of the reasons I try to get Elle involved in baking with me as often as I can. I hope that she grows up to have fond memories of helping me stir together cookie dough, frost cakes, or crush graham crackers for cheesecake crusts.

Even though she can’t help me make this Pecan Brittle just yet, I hope she’ll look back and remember sharing bites of homemade candy during the holidays and carry on the tradition with her own family someday.

PECAN BRITTLE: A TWIST ON PEANUT BRITTLE

Although I don’t make or indulge in peanut brittle very often, there’s something incredibly nostalgic about the sweet, buttery confection that takes me back to holiday baking with with my grandma.

She would always have tins of peanut brittle and ribbon candy to snack on while we baked cookies, pies, pumpkin crunch cake and pumpkin rolls.

Definitely the recipe for a pretty intense sugar coma, but as a kid, I loved every single second of it.

When I was pregnant with Elle, many of my 3rd trimester cravings were for my childhood sweets. From rainbow sherbet floats and salt water taffy to – you guessed it – peanut brittle.

After ransacking our baking cabinet for peanuts to make my own brittle, I came up empty handed, but you know you can’t deter a pregnant woman so easily.

I honed in on a bag of Fisher® Pecans and all was well in my world. I ended up with a perfect batch of sweet, buttery brittle loaded with pecans and a hint of cinnamon that I still love making to this day.

I love the woodsy notes that the Fisher® Pecans give this homemade brittle. Plus, I know they’re always fresh, even without any added preservatives, so they’re always ready any time a candy craving hits.

If you wanted, you could even add some cayenne for pecan brittle with a kick – Mexican Pecan Brittle, if you will.
No matter which way you make it, just make it and relive your childhood with me!

HOW TO MAKE PECAN BRITTLE

Making your own homemade brittle isn’t hard, but there are a few steps to the recipe:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat
• Heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water
• Add the chopped Fisher® Pecan Halves
• Continue cooking to 300°F
• Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking soda
• Spread onto the prepared baking sheet
• Cool, break and eat!

Since there are several steps involved, I recommend measuring out all of your ingredients before you get started.

Once candy making gets going it moves pretty quickly, so you won’t have time to measure out ingredients as you need them.

Having the ingredients measured and ready means that you’ll be able to add them all on cue for the perfect Pecan Brittle!

DO YOU REALLY NEED A CANDY THERMOMETER TO MAKE BRITTLE?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: There are a number of nut brittle recipes out there that don’t use a thermometer and instead give cooking times or color cues.

The problem is that making candy is a pretty exact science and cooking times or color cues leave a lot of room for error. Being a few degrees off can make the difference between a brittle that shatters perfect and one that is a little soft.

You don’t need a fancy candy thermometer. A simple one will do the trick, but I promise it will make the candy-making process so much easier and more successful.

After all, when Pecan Brittle cravings are on the line, you want to be successful the first time around.

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Pecan Brittle Recipe

By: Jamie

4.33 from 92 ratings

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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

Equipment

• Pre-Cut Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
• Nordic Ware Aluminum Half Sheet Pans

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup light corn syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 1 cup chopped Fisher® Pecan Halves
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions 

• Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Add in pecans, stirring until combined.
• Place a candy thermometer into the mixture and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300°F.
• Immediately remove saucepan from heat and quickly stir in butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking soda.
• Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches.
• Cool completely.
• Snap candy into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 164mg, Potassium: 39mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 64IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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