M&M Christmas Brittle
M&M Christmas Brittle is a festive holiday treat that everyone will love. Holiday M&Ms, pretzels, and buttery candy brittle come together to create a sweet snack that’s perfect for the season.
Brittle is the perfect treat for the holidays. It’s great for gifts when wrapped up in a tin or for holiday gatherings at the dessert table. This version is particularly festive with its green and red M&Ms.
This Christmas Brittle is so good, and it’s so easy to make because you make it in the Microwave! It only takes a few minutes, and you have a wonderful old-fashioned Christmas Candy, with a new flair.
This would be great as a hostess gift or wrapped in a bag with a bow as a party favor, or to brighten up a dessert table. No matter how you choose to serve this, everyone will love it.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a quick recipe that’s done in a flash.
- It’s loaded with M&Ms and pretzels for a sweet and salty flavor.
- Brittle is a classic sweet treat.
🛒Ingredients
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious brittle. We’re highlighting the major ingredients below, but you can find the full ingredient list along with the amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Sugar
- Corn syrup
- Mini pretzel twists
- Holiday M&Ms
- Butter
🔪 How to Make M&M Christmas Brittle
This recipe is very straightforward. Although you have to work quickly, if you’re methodical and just keep moving, you should have no problem making it!
Step 1: Prep
Measure out the ingredients and place them into bowls so you can quickly and easily pour them in and over the candy. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Brittle
Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water together in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the mixture on high for 6 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the bowl from the microwave, add the butter, and microwave for another minute. Finally, stir in the mini pretzels and vanilla and microwave for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir in the baking soda.
Step 3: Spread the Brittle
Quickly pour the brittle onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread it out into a thin layer with two spoons or forks.
Step 4: Decorate
Immediately pour the M&Ms on top of the brittle and gently press them into the hot candy.
Step 5: Cool
Let the brittle cool for 45 minutes to an hour. When it’s cool, break it into pieces and enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Every Holiday: Use Reese’s Pieces for Halloween, Easter M&Ms for Easter, etc.
- Corn Syrup: You can use light or dark corn syrup in this recipe.
If you think this brittle looks tasty, then check out this graham cracker toffee crunch. We think you’ll love it.
🥄 Equipment
You don’t need much to make this recipe. It only takes some basic kitchen items.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small dishes for ingredients
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Two forks or spoons
- Wooden spoon
🥫 Storage
Store this brittle in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, you can freeze it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
💭 Tips
There are a couple of things to be aware of before you dive into this recipe. These are important, so don’t skip them!
- Measure out all your ingredients first into small bowls for easy pouring. You have to work FAST with this recipe.
- Press the M&Ms down into the hot brittle immediately upon sprinkling them over the top so they set.
- Spread the brittle evenly but quickly before it has the chance to harden.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
It’s a type of confection made of hard sugar candy into which things like nuts, pretzels, or candies are added before being broken up into pieces.
No one knows for sure, but food historians believe Celts served a brittle made from sugar and peanut butter during the holidays. Eventually in the 1830s, brittle made its way to North America by Irish settlers coming to the New World.
Although they appear similar at first glance, toffee and brittle are not the same. Brittle is made mostly of sugar, while toffee has a substantial amount of butter and, in some cases, milk.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy Christmas candies? Then try these delicious recipes:
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
M&M Christmas Brittle
Equipment
- parchment paper
- Cookie sheet
- Two Forks, or Spoons – to spread the candy
- 6 small dishes for ingredients
- Airtight container – to store the Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Corn Syrup
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 cup Mini Pretzel Twists
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Holiday M&M's
Instructions
- First, measure out all your ingredients into small dishes you can pour into the Bowl of Candy, because the Candy will be begin to harden quickly, you’ll need the ingredients ready to go to follow the recipe, and won’t have time to get them together after you start. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
- In a Microwave safe medium size bowl, add the Sugar, Corn Syrup, and water, and stir together.
- Place in the Microwave for 6 minutes, on HIGH, stirring half way through, at 3 minutes.
- Line a Cookie sheet with Parchment Paper, and set aside.
- Remove from the Microwave, and add the Butter, and Microwave for 1 minute.
- Remove Bowl, and stir in Mini Pretzels, salt, and Vanilla, and Microwave for 15 seconds.
- Remove Bowl, and stir in Baking Soda – mixture will be light and foamy.
- Quickly, pour the Brittle out onto the Parchment Paper lined Cookie sheet, and spread out into a thin layer with spoons, or forks – you’ll need two utensils to spread the Brittle. Immediately, sprinkle the M & M’s on top of the Brittle, lightly pressing them down into the Hot candy.
- Let Brittle cool for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- When Brittle is cool, Break into pieces.
- Serve, and Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
I followed the recipe exactly, and after 1.5 hours it is not hard enough to break. Why is it not hard enough and how do I fix it?
If it’s not hard enough to break it means you didn’t cook it long enough. Also making sure you let the brittle cool completely before breaking it. The only way to fix it is to put it back in the pan and reheat it to the break stage or tell everyone they are chews instead of brittle.