Best Pecan Pralines
Submitted by shodgin
Best pecan pralines made rich with heavy cream and brown sugar, studded with pecan halves and cooked to the soft-ball stage. A creamy, caramel-deep Southern candy that melts in your mouth.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsThese pralines lean rich and creamy, built on heavy cream and brown sugar cooked together into a deep, caramel-toned candy loaded with pecan halves. The brown sugar pulls double duty, sweetening and bringing a molasses depth that white sugar can’t match.
Candy-making is all about the right stage. You cook the mixture, stirring often, until it reaches soft-ball, then pull it off the heat and quickly beat in butter. That butter cools the candy fast and helps it lose its gloss and turn cloudy, the visual cue that it’s ready to set into proper, slightly crumbly pralines instead of staying syrupy.
Working quickly, drop generous spoonfuls onto damp waxed paper, stirring between drops to keep the pecans evenly spread. One timing note worth heeding: lift the pralines off the paper before they cool completely, or they’ll stick and break when you try to move them.
Chef Tips
- Stir often while it cooks so the cream and sugar don’t scorch on the bottom.
- Cook to a true soft-ball stage. Under and the pralines stay sticky, over and they turn hard and grainy.
- Beating in the butter off the heat both cools the mixture and signals readiness, when it loses its shine and clouds.
- Work fast once it’s ready, since the candy sets quickly. Have your damp waxed paper laid out ahead of time.
Variations
- Toast the pecans first for a deeper, richer flavor.
- Add a pinch of flaky salt to each praline for a salted-caramel edge.
- Stir a splash of bourbon in with the vanilla for a Southern twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Butter a medium saucepan--this will make it easier to clean later. Pour in the cream and place over high heat. When it begins to boil, add the sugar and stir rapidly until it dissolves.
Then stir in the vanilla and pecans and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage.
Remove from heat and quickly beat in the butter--this helps arrest the cooking process. The candy should lose its glossy color and become very cloudy. Lay out a long strip of waxed paper on a work surface.
Moisten it with a damp towel. Drop good-sized spoonfuls of the hot praline mixture onto the waxed paper, stirring the mixture occasionally as you go along to keep it well combined.
Remove the pralines from the paper before they have cooled completely--later on it will be hard to remove them without breaking them. Store in tightly sealed containers, with layers of waxed paper in between.
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