I loved nuttle brittles growing up, although they weren’t something I associated with holidays, as they were for many. In my family, we got all sorts of nut-based treats – brittle, fudge, and salted and sweet-roasted nuts in giant bags – whenever we went to Renfroe’s Pecans in Pensacola, Florida. The Renfroes were my grandmother’s neighbors, and their grandkids and I grew up playing together over the summers. Their nut store on Fairfield Drive (still there and thriving today!) was always worth a visit. 

Living in Paris now for the time being, I find myself craving the nuts that are so ubiquitous in America – pecans and peanuts. And I wanted to make a peanut-based treat after I was reading about the carbon footprints of various nuts, and learned that peanuts are super low-impact because, unlike tree nuts, they’re technically a legume. 

So peanut brittle it was. But I didn’t want to use animal products, and I didn’t want to use corn syrups (nor could I easily find the latter at my neighborhood Franprix). If you’re willing to skip the caramelization process that the corn syrup typically enables, you can make much healthier peanut “brittle” with a minimum of prep, fuss, and ingredients. All you really need is peanuts (salted or unsalted), peanut butter, baking powder, and honey or maple syrup (and salt, if your peanuts came unsalted).

I take a bite of this quick-bake peanut brittle and I might as well be road-tripping around the South. Just the holiday escape I need when the clouds hang low over Paris. (Although really it’s quite magical and cozy here in all weather.)