Brittle
A hard, flat candy made by cooking sugar to the hard-crack stage, mixing in nuts or seeds and breaking it into pieces once set.

- Chocolate, sugar and confectionery
- France, Italy, People's Republic of China
Also called: grillage, seed brittle
Peanut brittle is the classic American version. Sugar and corn syrup are cooked to about 300 to 310°F (149 to 154°C); then butter, nuts and a little baking soda are stirred in. The baking soda releases carbon dioxide, which makes the candy lighter and easier to bite.
The mixture is spread thin on a buttered or lined sheet right away, because it sets in seconds.
Bake it at VanillaGoods
Tools for this
Taylor Candy & Deep-Fry ThermometerClips to the pot so you can watch the sugar or oil climb without guessing.See it on Amazon
Silicone Baking MatNothing sticks, bottoms bake evenly, and no parchment to buy.See it on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that help with this technique.
Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- Brittle (Q708823), Wikidata
