Barb’s Brittles is a beloved local establishment, known for serving up decadent desserts to adoring patrons. Cozily located on Lake Ella, the brick and mortar Barb’s Brittles storefront operates each Friday-Sunday from 12:00pm-6:00pm. Hungry visitors can enjoy a wide array of treats, from candy brittles to brittle ice cream to boiled peanuts, and everything in between.
Owner Barbara “Barb” McGarrah wasn’t always in the peanut brittle game, however. She graduated from FSU with a degree in fashion design, and enjoyed a career designing custom suits for professional women. The love of sweet treats was always in the back of her mind, though, and Barbara was famous for gifting ample amounts of her beloved brittles to family members and friends during the holiday season.
In fact, one year, Barbara’s father, wanting to support his daughter’s endeavors, ordered a whopping one hundred pounds of peanuts! A couple decades later, the simple mission of providing loved ones with holiday treats quickly catapulted into a full-blown career.
The peanut brittle, Barbara notes, “seemed to take on its own direction,” leading her to the storefront location at the Cottages at Lake Ella. Like the company inside it, the Cottages at Lake Ella themselves have a fascinating history. Barbara notes that the quaint cottages were originally used as military housing, before being transformed into lakefront honeymoon rooms! Today, the cottages are all occupied by local businesses.
On Barb’s menu, you’ll find ice cream, popsicles, boiled peanuts, cookies, fudge, nut clusters, popcorn, pralines, sweet potato & pecan pies, truffles, turtles, amongst many other season treats! She also has a lot of freshly made goodies bagged up, perfect for your next foodie gift basket to a friend.
Though Barb’s Brittles has been open since 2001, they are unfortunately not immune to the effects of the ongoing pandemic. Barbara recently made the tough decision to reduce their operating hours as well as dedicate more time to their online presence, at www.barbsbrittles.com.
Enjoy a slow stroll around beautiful Lake Ella one weekend, and be sure to stop in Barb’s Brittles for irresistible local flavor.