Bacon Peanut Brittle

When I was growing up, my mom would make peanut brittle in the microwave all the time. It was always crunchy with a nice, deep, buttery flavor. This peanut brittle matches that memory and then tops it with the addition of bacon. Seriously, how can you go wrong with bacon anything?

Instead of using butter to cover the baking sheet and spatula, I used the bacon drippings. After adding the peanuts and butter, the cooking time took 5 minutes instead of 4 to turn “golden brown.” I will point out that I think it could’ve used another minute, as the golden brown color never really happened, just sort of a light amber color, hardly golden. After cooling for 30 minutes, the center was still a little gooey.

Also, the brittle stuck pretty badly to my nonstick baking sheet. However, the reason for that could have been that I used bacon grease instead of butter to grease the pan. It wasn’t anything my trusty steel spatula couldn’t handle. So far, the bacon peanut brittle has been kept well in the fridge. I’m surprised it’s lasted this long since it’s so good. One little piece won’t hurt you, and another, and another…

“This bacon peanut brittle is so delicious I can hardly stand it!” said one of my tasters. The rest of us second her sentiment. And really, have you ever heard such a glorifying compliment for anything you made in a microwave oven? The bacon elevates the already tasty peanut brittle to a heavenly level you didn’t know it could reach. The ratio of ingredients is spot-on; you’ll get your sugar, salt, and bacon fix in every broken piece of brittle.

No need to go on and on here—I’ll be making this addictive peanut brittle again and again. Just to note, I used lightly salted peanuts and thick-cut bacon, which was a good choice as it made for sturdier pieces when crumbled. When heating the mixture after adding the peanuts and butter, pay close attention to the color after each minute, as every microwave oven performs differently; it took 6 minutes for the sugar mixture to become “golden brown” in my microwave.

Lastly, work very quickly once you add the baking soda as the mixture becomes thick and heavy quickly, making it difficult to spread on the baking pan. The peanut brittle disappeared so fast I couldn’t tell you how long it would keep…sorry!

Candy-making has always been challenging for me. But when I saw the simplicity of this bacon peanut brittle recipe, I couldn’t resist trying it.

When I stirred together the sugar, corn syrup, and salt, the mixture looked a bit dry. After microwaving it for 2 minutes, the brittle mixture was still a bit thick with sugar crystals still visible. I also noticed the mixture hardened quickly on the spatula while I waited for the mixture to microwave for an additional minute. This had me a bit concerned, as I thought the candy might seize too early. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. After the third minute, the mixture emerged from the microwave melted and syrupy. After adding the peanuts and butter, it took the full 4 minutes to reach the golden brown stage. While there was some bubbling up of the candy when I added the bacon, baking soda, and vanilla, it was only a couple of inches high and settled quickly.

My brittle was pretty thick, so I scooped it—not poured it—onto the baking sheet. It took some pressing to get the brittle to spread evenly over the baking sheet. I never did achieve 1/4 inch thickness. My brittle may have looked rustic, but it tasted amazing. I’ve already been asked to make it again. I placed the few pieces left in an airtight container. They were just as wonderful the next day. Both the preparation and cooling times are accurate. From the first step to eating is about 1 hour. Buttered parchment paper on the cookie sheet makes for easy clean-up.