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Home » Recipes » Candy Recipes

Homemade Bourbon Peanut Brittle in 20 Minutes

Published: May 21, 2015 · Updated: Jan 22, 2025 by Marye

This easy peanut brittle has just a hint of bourbon. You can make it in under a half hour -- great for gifts or to fill your own candy dish!
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 15 minutes minutes
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peanut brittle

This sweet and salty homemade bourbon peanut brittle recipe is easy to make and it goes from measuring cup to mouth in about 20 minutes! A few simple ingredients, a heavy pan, and a candy thermometer and you'll be eating this foolproof candy in no time.

bourbon peanut brittle is done in less than 20 minutes and it's super easy to make. SO good! --restlesschipotle.com

I may have mentioned one or a thousand times that I have a growing collection of vintage cookbooks and recipes. I pick them up whenever I see one that strikes my fancy, read that whenever I see one.

Now, to me vintage means prior to 1970. I will accept that the dishes I ate in the 1960s could maybe be called vintage but the 70's were just a few years ago. My cookbooks range from the 1920s to the 1960s but I have family recipes that date much further back than that... A lot of the recipes that show up on this blog are those recipes that I have adapted and updated. This is from a 1940s cookbook... except the bourbon part. That's something I did all by myself.

bourbon peanut brittle is delicate with just a hint of bourbon flavor. So easy to make, too! Restlesschipolte.com

OK. I am going to stop right here and tell you that my computer hiccuped and I've lost almost this entire post. I was just about finished and I lost an hour's worth of work. I am sure that y'all would have loved the wonderful story I shared but apparently the universe wanted to keep it short and sweet. SO....

Let's get on with it, shall we?

Let me just say that I usually won't make candy on a humid day -- it just doesn't work out. Well, we have had a month of rain here in Dallas-Fort Worth and cloudy, humid days when it isn't raining. Don't get me wrong -- I love the rain! My tomato plants are GINORMOUS! But it is not good for candy making. Still, I had been putting off making a batch of this homemade bourbon peanut brittle (is there any other kind?) for a month and decided to just make it and hope for the best. This recipe worked beautifully in this humid weather so I think you should be just fine no matter what the weather is at your place. I'm looking at you, Seattle.

📖 Recipe

peanut brittle

Bourbon Peanut Brittle in 20 Minutes

4.60 from 10 votes
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This easy peanut brittle has just a hint of bourbon. You can make it in under a half hour -- great for gifts or to fill your own candy dish!
Course Candy
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings:1
Calories:
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup peanuts
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup corn syrup
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, (omit if the peanuts are very salty)
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons butter, , cut in small pieces
  • Pinch of vanilla sea salt, , optional
  • Melted milk chocolate for drizzle, , optional

Instructions

  • Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Do NOT used waxed paper.
  • Set aside.
  • Bring the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly.
  • Once the mixture boils stop stirring and let the temperature reach 295F to 300F.
  • Add the bourbon, vanilla, butter, and peanuts and remove from heat.
  • Stir it until the butter melts and is mixed in.
  • Quickly pour out on the parchment, spreading it as thin as possible with a spatula.
  • Sprinkle with the vanilla sea salt if desired -- a little goes a long way!
  • Let cool just until you can stand to touch it and pull the candy as thin as possible.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired and break into pieces.
  • Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot.

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

Comments

    4.60 from 10 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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  1. Cynthia says

    November 23, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    Does this recipe use raw peanuts?

    Reply
    • Marye says

      November 24, 2020 at 5:10 pm

      I've used both raw and roasted.

      Reply
    • James says

      June 10, 2023 at 9:56 pm

      The brittle is great but there is no bourbon taste

      Reply
  2. Tessa says

    November 12, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    I am not a big fan of corn syrup - can you suggest a substitute?

    Reply
    • Marye says

      November 13, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      No - I am not familiar with anything that would substitute.

      Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    May 25, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    Tried this, left it a bit too long taking off the heat at 315, and it was so sticky even after it cooled. I didn't want to toss, so I reheated in the microwave and boiled it again, I added a teaspoon of baking soda as I realized that baking soda was part of every brittle recipe I've tried except this one. The 2nd time was foamy, hard and not sticky at all.

    Reply
    • Marye says

      May 28, 2020 at 11:31 am

      Baking soda gives it an airy texture - I prefer a crunchy texture. I'm glad you got it fixed the way you like. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says

    June 12, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Oh my! Peanut brittle spiked with bourbon! Heck yeah!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 13, 2016 at 8:47 pm

      So good! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

    June 06, 2016 at 10:40 pm

    Nice! Peanut brittle's always been a favorite indulgence of mine and this looks and sounds terrific!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:29 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Nutmeg Nanny says

    June 06, 2016 at 10:22 pm

    This homemade candy looks awesome! I'm a fan of anything with peanuts and chocolate : )

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:29 am

      Oh me too!!

      Reply
  7. Michelle De La Cerda says

    June 06, 2016 at 6:42 pm

    You had me at "measuring cup to mouth in about 20 minutes." It is a great recipe when you need to satisfy a sweet tooth quick!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:28 am

      Yes, I love recipes that are quick and easy!

      Reply
  8. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

    June 06, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    This brittle sounds delicious Marye! I love the bourbon twist!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:22 am

      Thank you! Yep, I was worried that it wouldn't set up with the bourbon it in but it did fine. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Adriana Lopez-Martin says

    June 06, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    You got me at bourbon such a yummy treat send me a care package please =)

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:22 am

      LOL! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Julie @ Willow Bird Baking says

    June 06, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    This looks so delicious!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:21 am

      Thank you! It was so good. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says

    June 06, 2016 at 11:19 am

    We have been getting nothing but rain here lately, so I know exactly what you mean about the humidity! Love that this candy still works though...peanut brittle is one of my faves and this looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      June 07, 2016 at 7:21 am

      It looks like it's clearing this week. Sunny and low 90s... Which is great because the kids have youth camp this week!

      Reply
  12. Barbara @ Spirited Cook says

    May 22, 2015 at 10:59 am

    First of all, you crack me up. I have a vintage cookbook addiction too....I love that many of the millennials are rediscovering what seems vintage to them (The Silver Palate) but that I am STILL making. LOL. Anyway, I haven't made peanut brittle in a long time, but this looks like something I would make in New England in the winter for Christmas or apres-ski! I'll add it to my list of "must trys." Thanks Marye!

    Reply
  13. Manila Spoon says

    May 22, 2015 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    I love peanut brittle and I bet the addition of bourbon brings it over the top! Love the chocolate drizzled all over - extra yum! Pinned.

    Reply
  14. Rachael @ La Fuji Mama says

    May 22, 2015 at 4:30 am

    I hear ya on making candy when it's humid. It isn't pretty. I LOVE brittles and other candies and this brittle looks phenomenal. Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  15. Catherine says

    May 22, 2015 at 1:10 am

    Dear Marye, This could be dangerous for me because I know I would be picking at this all day until every bit of it disappeared! Your candy brittle sounds wonderful. Love the touch of bourbon in it. xo, Catherine

    Reply
Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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