Peanut Brittle

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The video says to stop at 350F (175C. This information should be included in the recipe, especially for food nerds with equipment but no prior experience. I stopped too early and it is tasty but not dark enough!

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I have to say I COMPLETELY screwed up this recipe and it still turned out for me (albeit with burnt nuts, so I'm not sure why it isn't more highly rated.

I apparently have a different definition of "amber" and put in the nuts way to early, and poured it out. I realized right away that it wasn't right. I decided rather than just throw it out, I'd at least give putting it back on the heat another shot. So I put it back in the same pan (with the nuts, hence the burnt nuts, brought it back to a boil, put on the lid for 3 minutes, then continued cooking WITH a candy thermometer this time, and it came out just fine. My point here is I completely messed it up, jostled and stirred it, and still had no crystals and it came together nicely.

So I'm taking off one star for really imprecise directions on the cooking part...please give me at least an approximate time range if you're not going to give a temp...but I can't complain about the end product.

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I started using this recipe a while ago and I'd never ever made candy before. I moved outside of the US and I wanted to share some traditional candy with the people here. Unfortunately I couldn't find a recipe that didn't use corn syrup. They don't sell corn syrup here I was stumped until I found this recipe!
I've made this dozens of times since then and I've never had a problem. I don't have a thermometer either, so I just eyeball it. After I uncover the pot and turn the heat to medium, I always cook it for exactly 20 minutes. This has yet to fail!

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Absolutely wonderful! I made these twice on a rickety old stove, without a candy thermometer and without the heat diffuser cast iron pot Alton uses in the episode. Even with things stacked against me, they went off without a hitch. It was great made with hazelnuts substituted for peanuts.

The key really is to just wait until the color reaches amber. It's terrifying to wait, but just hang on!

The only thing I would change would be the amount of spice. I found it a bit too much, but I'm one of those people who just can't deal with heat.

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Either I can't follow directions or there is something wrong with this recipe. I followed it to the letter and it didn't turn out. It was like carmelized peanuts. Other recipes call for Karo syrup so I tried one of those and it turned out perfect. Do not use this recipe.

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First time, Excellent! I almost didn't make this recipe because my neighbor below did an ALL CAPS "DNU" on it, but I whole hearted disagree.. It was very easy and turned out very good. I used TJ's (wink wink lightly salted roasted nuts and they were the perfect balance of sweet and salty. I followed instructions to a "t" and when it darkened I pulled it off and poured it. My Thermometer (very old...grandma's maybe read 350 when it came off. I had plenty of time to spatula it, it was very hot and stayed manageable for enough time to flatten it, maybe because I has the peanuts in a metal bowl near the cooking mixture that they were warm? It is different, spicy, nice! Don't be afraid, do it. I didn't stir it at all when the lid came off. Tools: All Clad pan, Silpat and old thermometer.

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I don't know how anyone gets this to work. I tried three times following the directions to the letter and get crystallized sugar each time. I tried a fourth time using a candy thermometer and the same result. I am sure it is a tasty recipe if it would work but it simply does not. Sorry Alton, you screwed this one up big. My recommendation, DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE!!

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This is a good recipe, but it's not peanut brittle. It's candied peanuts. I didn't see the show, so I'm not sure how Alton presented it, but peanut brittle requires baking soda, which makes carbon dioxide bubbles in the candy. It's what gives it the traditional texture.

This makes a smoother, candy coated, peanut patty type candy. Both are good, and this recipe works fine, but if you're looking for traditional peanut "brittle" this is not it.

I'm a bit disappointed that this is the first recipe that pops up in the food network search. There's one called "Cinnamon Peanut Brittle," and if you compare the two photos, you can see the difference the baking soda makes. The other one is much lighter in color and texture.

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ARGH! Alton, I usually love your recipes-today I am NOT A FAN! I made this twice. The first time, I'll admit, I messed it up. Result= crystalized sugar. The second time I followed your recipe to the T-result? Crystallized sugar. Major BUMMER! Do not use this recipe!

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This is delicious - Good Eats! Use the candy thermometer and you won't be disappointed.