How to Make Cashew Brittle (Peanut too!)

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Buttery Cashew Brittle is a delicious and easy treat to make at home with your family! Plus, it only requires 4 ingredients and less than 30 minutes of cooking time! This brittle is cooked to the “soft crack stage”, not the hard crack so it’s not “burnt” tasting and it is a touch softer!

A Candy Maker’s Recipe for Nut Brittle

My daughters both attended a candy camp when they were younger, and they absolutely loved it! They made a new recipe each day for one week, and this buttery cashew brittle turned out to be their absolute favorite (mine too)!

Since camp, we have made this recipe many times, and the candy is gone within a day. Now, I’m not a fan of the traditional peanut brittle, which is a tiny bit harder and sometimes tastes too much like burnt sugar to me. But this? This I love! This brittle is not cooked as long and so it’s not as dark and doesn’t taste like burnt sugar.

But if you’re a fan of peanuts, feel free to add them or substitute them entirely. This homemade nut brittle recipe is super versatile!

Key Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients — 5 if not using a candy or digital thermometer (like a Thermapen, which I LOVE)— to make your own homemade cashew brittle at home, and you probably have them stocked in your pantry!

• 1 cup (aka 2 sticks) salted butter
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1.5 cups roasted and salted or unsalted nuts (whole, halves, or pieces; may substitute with preferred nut)

If you’re not using a candy thermometer, consider adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda. But first, test the mixture after it darkens and looks like lava by dropping in a teaspoonful in very cold water. It is finished when it separates into hard threads in the ice water but soften when removed from water. If your threads don’t bend when removed from the water but break instead, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda after cooking but before you add the cashews.

Overview of Process

• Prep Your Candy-Making Station: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 200 degrees, and warm the baking sheet to prep it for the last step.

• Begin to Make the Candy: In a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup, and warm over medium-low heat.

• Stir occasionally and continue heating until the temperature reaches 290 degrees on a digital or candy thermometer (approximately 20 to 30 minutes, but this will depend on the power of your burner), which is the high end of the soft crack stage (270 to 290 degrees F).

• Add the Nuts: Once it reaches the desired temperature/consistency, remove the sauce pan from the heat, and stir in cashews (or preferred roasted nuts).

• Prepare Your Brittle: Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread across the pam. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator for 5 more minutes. Break into individual serving size, and store in an airtight container or freeze. Enjoy!

How to Test Your Candy Thermometer

I highly recommend that you test your candy thermometer before beginning because candy thermometers are notoriously inaccurate. It’s easy, just do it!

To test your candy thermometer, place a small saucepan with water over high heat and bring water to a boil. Insert the thermometer into the water, taking care that the glass tip does not touch the bottom or sides. After a few minutes, the thermometer should read 212 degrees in the boiling water.

Making Nut Brittle without a Thermometer

If you don’t have a digital or candy thermometer, you can still make candy!

For this recipe, you’ll use the “cold water test” after the mixture thickens and looks like lava. To test the candy, drop a teaspoonful into ice cold water.

The brittle is ready (for this recipe, soft crack stage) when the candy forms hard threads in the ice water, but softens when removed from the ice water.

See more details about the different stages of cooked candy below.

Cold Water Test for Candy Making

It might be helpful to understand the various cooking stages of candy making from softest to hardest. Temperatures and visual clues are both provided.

• Soft ball stage (234 to 248 degrees): candy can be rolled into a soft ball in ice water but will flatten when held in your hand.
• Firm fall stage (242 to 248 degrees): candy can be rolled into a firm ball, but will flatten if pressed.
• Hard ball stage (250 to 268 degrees): candy can be rolled into a hard ball and remain hard.
• Soft crack stage (270 to 290 degrees): candy will form hard threads in ice water, but will soften when removed from the water.
• Hard crack stage (300 to 310 degrees): candy will form brittle threads in ice water and will remain brittle when removed from the water.

Cashew or Peanut Brittle Variations

• Swap your favorite roasted nut for the cashews. Even a traditional nut mix would be delicious!
• Add dried fruit like cranberries or raisins for pops of chewy sweetness.
• Drizzle the brittle with some melted chocolate! Dark, white, semis-sweet, or milk chocolate would all work beautifully.
• Top with some flakey sea salt. Just make sure to use lightly salted roasted nuts so the salt isn’t overpowering.
• Add some big, colorful holiday sprinkles to give as gifts!

Freezing and Storage

• Store cooked, cooled, and broken-up brittle in at room temperature in an airtight container like a large plastic bag, metal cookie tin, or Tupperware container with a secure lid. Line with parchment paper to keep them from sticking.
• Freeze leftover brittle for up to 6 months and enjoy frozen, or let it come to room temperature (as long as your home isn’t too warm or humid, which would cause the sugar to melt and make the brittle sticky.)

More Recipes To Try

If you enjoyed my Homemade Cashew Brittle, then you’ll love these other sweet recipes:

• The BEST Homemade Vanilla Fudge
• Dark Chocolate Bark
• Italian Rum Cake
• Chocolate Mug Cake
• White Velvet Cupcakes

📖 Recipe