Pecan Pralines

Pralines are an absolutely addictive southern tradition that has a history beyond its New Orleans heritage. One of my oldest recipes that I used to make way back in my college days is for a praline cheesecake. It is a fantastic recipe that I will be sharing next week. It is a rich and decadent dessert. But, I was never satisfied with the recipe’s topping. It was a whole sheet of brown sugar and caramel topping that didn’t really taste like pralines. I finally got around to changing the topping to a bunch of crumbled pralines instead. If you know me at all, you know that I, of course, had to make my own pralines. This is the first part of the cheesecake recipe with the main cheesecake following. These pralines are fabulous all on their own and deserve their own post.

The original confection was invented in the 17th century for a French Diplomat named César, Duc de Choiseul, Comte du Plessis-Praslin. (that’s a mouthful, as are these delicious candies!) Probably concocted by his personal chef Clement Lassagne, the original pralines had chopped hazelnuts or almonds. Plessis-Paslin would give these treats in bundles marked with his name to woo prospective lovers. The pralines were so delicious that they soon became very popular across France. The recipe was even brought to other countries that created different versions. Some included chocolate and nut pastes instead of chopped almonds. In 1727 a group of French nuns brought these now-famous treats to New Orleans. Over time the name Praslin evolved into Pralines, and the pecan became the nut of choice, as almonds and hazelnuts weren’t available in 18th century Louisiana. Women began selling them on the streets, particularly women of color or poverty who couldn’t find work anywhere else. The Pralinères, as the women were called, became famous in New Orleans as part of the city’s culture. Pralines eventually became the official candy of New Orleans.

Growing up far from The South, I always thought pralines were a hard crunchy, pecans, covered in toffee. Even Costco has an enormous jar of praline pecans that I thought of as what pralines were supposed to be. But in researching, there are many different versions of recipes for Pralines. Some are more like the pecan hard, crunchy, toffee I had envisioned and have eaten from Costco, and some are softer, almost like a fudge. This recipe is somewhere in the middle. After doing a lot of research and experimentation, I think I have perfected pralines, and I now understand the difference in how these famous candies aren’t just pecan toffee. They are their own confection, softer and even easier to eat!

One of the things I have learned to make these pralines incredible is to make sure and toast the pecans before making these addictive confections. So many times I have eaten pralines that have almost no pecan taste. I love pecans, and those were disappointing. By toasting them, the pecan flavor comes through. Using parchment paper makes this recipe an easy cleanup, and using a cookie scoop like this one from Amazon makes them quick and easy to shape. (I get a small commission at no cost to you from Amazon. If you use any link on this page, please consider helping fund my food journey.) I used this instant-read thermometer and made checking the temperature a breeze. These Pralines are very fast to make. In less than an hour, you can be eating these additive treats from New Orleans.

Ok, that is all for this week. I hope you try these famous confections. They make incredible gifts and are fabulous to snack on. They also make a great dessert topping for ice cream, or next week’s post, a decadent cheesecake! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there. Please think of others in your choices. We all need to get through this wacky world together. Until next week!

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Pecan Pralines

Pecan Pralines are easy and delicious. They make great gifts and a fantastic dessert topping.

Course: Candy

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: candy, confections, pecans, praline recipe, pralines

Servings: 48 Pieces

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups pecan halves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 2 ½ cups pecan halves
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. On a baking sheet, roast the pecans until nicely toasted and fragrant for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Be careful not to burn them.
3. Set out parchment paper for making the pralines and have a tablespoon-sized scoop handy or a metal spoon.
4. Add the sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and whipping cream to a medium saucepan.
5. Stirring continuously, bring to a foamy boil.
6. Stir constantly and cook until it reaches 235°. I used an instant read thermometer, or you can use a candy thermometer.
7. Remove from heat, stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla, and then quickly add the pecans.
8. Continue to stir for 3 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. The longer you stir, the thicker the mixture gets. You don’t want it to get too thick, or it’ll be hard to scoop the pralines. But you want the mixture to be able to mound correctly.
9. Quickly drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper and allow them to cool and firm. If the mixture is too thin and spreads more than you want, stir a little bit more. If the mixture starts to cool too much as you’re scooping, place it briefly back on the heat, but don’t let it cook.
10. When pralines are cool and firm, store them in an airtight container.