January 26th is National Peanut Brittle Day

If you're not sure what to do today then get to crunching because it's National Peanut Brittle Day!

This crunchy treat pleases children and grandparents alike.

Let's get right into celebrating National Peanut Brittle Day!

Why is this a holiday?

While there may not be a reason for this specific day to be chosen, when you've been around as long as peanut brittle has someone's bound to celebrate you!

I remember peanut brittle from classic Candy Land board game and a lot of older folk always seem to have a dish of it waiting to be chomped on. Do you remember that game?

So what is peanut brittle? It's a really hard but brittle, hence the name, sugary treat with peanuts embedded inside it. It usually comes in flat, broken pieces and has a nice golden brown color to it.

They mix sugar and water together and then boil it until it reaches what they call the "hard crack stage", which happens at around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. If you've ever had hard toffee then you know what the hard crack stage is all about! It's the point where the sugar caramelizes in a particular way so that it's nice and hard when it cools down.

Then they add in peanuts and other ingredients, mix it together and then pour it out onto a flat surface to cool. As it cools it becomes a solid sheet of peanut brittle-y goodness that is then broken up into bite-sized pieces. You can sometimes find people breaking it up with little mallets.

Pecans and almonds are sometimes added to their own brittle but today is peanut brittle's day so toss those other nuts aside!

So how can you celebrate today?

Well, you can easily head to a store and pick up a container of peanut brittle and munch on it all day today. If you have kids you can introduce them to this crunchy treat and see what they think of it. Or if you work at an office then set out a dish of peanut brittle and let the whole office celebrate with you.  I'm sure that most people would love to spice up their day with some sugary crunchness.

But maybe you're handy in the kitchen... why not take a stab at making your own peanut brittle? There are a ton of different recipes online for you to try out and it'll probably end up being less expensive, more rewarding and you'll end up with a whole lot more of it!

Just make sure that you boil your sugar mixture long enough so that it hits that hard crack stage, otherwise it won't be as crunchy and brittle as you want it to be. It's not called peanut chewy for a reason ;).

And hey, you don't have to eat it plain! Why not toss it in a mix shake? I'm sure that would be a tasty treat for today that you've probably never had before.

However you decide to celebrate today, I hope that you enjoy the sound of peanut brittle being crunched!