Praline candies are a French concoction that is considered by most to be a gourmet's delight. Praline candy is made out of nuts, mostly pecans and almonds, that have been coated with sugar syrup and then heated until crisp.
When making praline candies, you might think the most important aspect of this candy would be the type of nut used, but instead it is the heat. If you cook praline pecans too long, the sugar will scorch or burn resulting in a candy that is inedible. Some praline recipes, like Southern pralines, incorporate light cream.
Recipe for Praline Pecans
Ingredients You Will Need:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup half and half
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup whole pecans
Equipment You Will Need:
Heavy saucepan
Candy thermometer
Use a heavy saucepan and low heat. Using a plastic sandwich bag as a glove, take the tablespoon of butter, and run it around the inside of the pan, coating every square inch. Then set the pan on the burner and begin adding ingredients.
Add the two sugars, half and half and salt to the pan. Stirring constantly, slowly raise the heat level until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (234 degrees Fahrenheit). When the candy thermometer registers 234 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Instead, let the pan sit for a few minutes. Add the nuts, stirring until they are coated. Drop the mixture by rounded spoonful onto a sheet of parchment paper or on a buttered cookie sheet.
Spice-Laden Pralines
If you have never tried pralines, you should. And if you have a liking for cinnamon or nutmeg or ginger, by all means add that particular spice to your pralines. Whatever would go well with nuts or caramel will blend in well.
For a crystallized candy, sprinkle sugar over the nuts before they cool. For a cinnamon-sugar flavor, add cinnamon in with the sugar. Or, if you're going for a holiday theme, add a significant amount of green or red crystallized sugar to the pralines as they cool on the parchment paper.
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