Milk Chocolate Praline

These milk chocolate pralines come together on the stovetop with a boiled sugar syrup that gets hit with chocolate morsels and chopped pecans. The vinegar in the syrup isn’t for flavor; it prevents the sugar from crystallizing, giving you smooth, glossy candies instead of grainy ones.

Speed is everything once you pull the syrup off the heat. After those 5 minutes of cooling, stir in the chocolate chips fast and fold in the pecans the moment the chocolate melts. The mixture starts setting almost immediately, so have your foil-lined sheets ready and a tablespoon measure in hand before you even start cooking.

The finished pralines have a satisfying snap on the outside with pockets of crunchy pecan throughout. Store them in the fridge where they’ll keep their shape and texture.

Pro Tips

• Don’t stir the sugar syrup while it boils. Stirring causes crystallization and you’ll end up with gritty pralines.
• Work fast when dropping the mixture onto foil. If it starts to stiffen in the pan, you can briefly set it over very low heat to loosen it, but don’t overdo it.
• Use real milk chocolate morsels, not chocolate-flavored chips. The cocoa butter in real chocolate gives you that clean snap.

Variations

• Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate morsels for a deeper, less sweet praline.
• Use walnuts or toasted almonds instead of pecans.
• Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of each praline right after dropping for a sweet-salty contrast.