Peanut Brittle... from the microwave!

Peanut brittle is a well received gift, especially by most men, and is very easy to make. Give this recipe a try; you'll be surprised at how easy it is, and how it compares to store-bought.

First, we must gather our ingredients!
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda


In a 1 1/2 quart, microwave safe bowl combine the corn syrup and sugar. Stir well. This mixture will be thick.









Pop the mixture in the microwave, uncovered. Cook 4-5 minutes.








Stir in one cup of peanuts.








The mixture will look like this. Place the bowl back into the microwave, and cook for another 3-5 minutes.







It will look like this. Add the butter, and vanilla. Stir well. Microwave for another 1-2 minutes.






Add the baking soda. Gently stir until the mixture is foamy, and the baking soda is fully incorporated.








It's very sticky, and hot!







Pour the mixture onto a buttered cookie sheet. let cool about 30 minutes.





Break into pieces. Each recipe makes one pound of brittle.








An alternative to the cookie sheet! Butter two pie plates, and pour half of the hot mixture into each plate. Let cool.







Remove from the pie plates, and present a round disk of peanut brittle, letting the recipient break it into pieces on their own.







This makes for a lovely presentation! One half pound per disk!







Speaking of presentation, here are a few cute ways to package your peanut brittle, or any food gift.





How about some Christmas themed Chinese take out boxes?








Tiny gift bags









Goodie bags with pretty seals







You can even get Christmas Ziploc bags that are excellent for packing up your holiday treats!