Why We Fall To Pieces Over National Peanut Brittle Day | Stuckey's (2024)

Today is an exciting day for Americans as we all get together to salute that hard, flat candy with a nutty, buttery taste that’s chock-full of our favorite goobers. That’s right! We’re taking some time out today to celebrate National Peanut Brittle Day, so join us as we take a look at this delicious (and possibly Southern) hard-candy goodness.

Not much is really known about who started National Pecan Brittle Day. The same can also be said of the history of peanut brittle itself and who might have been the first to create the salty-sweet confectionary.

Some claim the Celts were first to bake a mixture of sugar and peanut butter that they served as dessert on holidays. This peanutty, hard candy reportedly made its way to America sometime in the 1830s via the Irish.

Still others say it goes back to the Middle Ages and is a variation of halva, an Arabic confection that includes honey, nuts, and seeds.

Then there are those who say that peanut brittle is the result of tall-tale hero (and cousin of Paul Bunyan) Tony Beaver. Like his cousin, Tony was a lumberjack, and he created peanut brittle by using peanuts and molasses to stop a flood.

Finally, there is the story that is likely the most plausible. In this story, a Southern woman (or, some say, New England woman) created peanut brittle by mistake. She was in the middle of making taffy and accidentally added baking soda instead of cream of tartar to the confectionary mix. Nonetheless, she continued making the candy because she didn’t want to waste any ingredients. What she ended up with was peanut brittle. She tasted it, decided it was pretty good and gave pieces to her friends. They loved it so much, they had to have the recipe, which the woman gladly gave to them.

Nonetheless, because peanut brittle recipes are found in mostly American cookbooks, we’re going to go ahead and claim it as uniquely American.

How to Commemorate National Peanut Brittle Day

How should you observe National Peanut Brittle Day? How else? Celebrate the day by grabbing some tasty peanut brittle from your local Stuckey’s and sharing some with your friends and family.

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Want to wait until Valentine’s Day to share your love of peanut brittle with the one you love? Then why not give them the “Sweet Southern Goodness” Valentine Box this February 14^th? Not only does it come with a 6-oz. bag of peanut brittle, but you’ll also be giving them a bunch of other nutty goodness including Stuckey’s Maple Pecans, a Pecan Log Roll, Pecan Divinity, Pecan Pralines, and a Candy Shoppe Coffee Mug.

Visit stuckeys.com for even more Valentine’s Day gift boxes and other Stuckey’s treats and merchandise!

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