PRALINES, a beloved New Orleans treat, are a creamy caramelized sugar confection laden with pecans that have been around for more than 100 years, believed to have originated in France using almonds. French settlers in Louisiana found almonds to be scarce, so they replaced them with bountiful pecans. With our tips, you can create the storied candy at home perfectly every time.
Don’t be tempted to double this yummy recipe—the candy will harden long before you can scoop the last velvety drop.
Lightly coating your metal spoon with cooking spray will help the praline mixture to drop without sticking.
- 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups toasted pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Garnish: flaked sea salt
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Don’t use wax paper because it will melt.)
- In a 3½-quart enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch oven, bring brown sugar, cream, and baking soda to a full boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, with a wooden spoon, until a candy thermometer registers 240°.
- Remove from heat; quickly stir in pecans, butter, and vanilla, stirring just until mixture thickens. Using a metal spoon, quickly drop mixture by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared pan. Garnish with salt, if desired. Let stand until firm, about 45 minutes.
How To
COOK: Use a deep heavy-bottomed pot to bring your ingredients to a boil. A Dutch oven is perfect for this. It will keep the sugary praline mixture from burning while it reaches a boil and the correct temperature of 240°.
STIR: Immediately add the butter and pecans and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter melts and mixture begins to slightly thicken.
TEST: Test to see if your mixture is ready to scoop by running a spoon on bottom of pan.
DROP: Once praline mixture is thick enough to spoon, drop by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet, leaving about a 2-inch space between. If the mixture gets too thick, stir in a few drops of hot water. Be sure to switch to a metal spoon for this step.
