peanut brittle is a crunchy and nutty confection made with a roasted peanuts, sugar and butter cooked until hard then poured out and a broken into small pieces when cool. The candy is high in carbohydrates, providing significant calories.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that a single large piece of peanut brittle contains around 64 calories. Within that piece are 37 calories of carbohydrates, 23 calories of fats and four calories of proteins.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also states that single large piece of peanut brittle weighs 13 g. Of that amount, 9 g are carbohydrates, 2.5 g are fat and 1 g are protein with the remaining amount water and other nutrients.

When calculated using a daily 2,000 calorie diet, the same portion of peanut brittle can provide around 3 percent of the calories an average adult should take per day.

Peanut brittle contains relatively few nutrients, which include trace amounts of vitamin E., copper, iron and zinc. There is no appreciable amount of dietary fiber intake of brittle.

According to the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension, excessive amounts of sugar in the diet can contribute to nutritional deficiencies, tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. With this in mind, peanut brittle, as with any sweets, should be eaten in moderation.