New Orleans Pecan Pralines

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan
• •Candy thermometer
• •Wooden spoon
• •Rimmed baking sheets
• •Parchment paper or silicone baking mats

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the pecans

   Spread pecan halves in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350F oven for eight to ten minutes, stirring once halfway through. You're looking for a deeper golden color and a rich, nutty fragrance that fills your kitchen. Let them cool while you prepare everything else. Toasting transforms pecans from pleasant to essential. Raw pecans taste flat in pralines. Toasted pecans taste like Louisiana.

   Watch them closely after the six minute mark. Pecans go from perfectly toasted to burned in under a minute.
2. 2

   Prepare your workspace

   Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have your vanilla measured and ready. Set your toasted pecans within arm's reach. Once the candy reaches temperature, you'll have maybe ninety seconds to work before it sets up. There's no time to hunt for ingredients. Candy making rewards preparation and punishes chaos.

3. 3

   Combine sugar mixture

   In a heavy-bottomed three-quart saucepan, combine both sugars, the heavy cream, butter, and salt. The heavy bottom matters because it distributes heat evenly. Thin pans create hot spots that scorch sugar before the rest of the mixture catches up. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is combined.

   A light-colored pan helps you see the true color of your caramel as it cooks. Dark pans hide what's happening.
4. 4

   Cook to soft ball stage

   Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the butter melts and the sugars dissolve. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil without stirring. The mixture will bubble aggressively, climbing the sides of the pot. Let it cook until it reaches 236F to 238F on your thermometer. This takes about eight to twelve minutes depending on your stove. The color will deepen to amber and the bubbles will become smaller and more frantic.

   If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount into cold water. At soft ball stage, it forms a soft, pliable ball you can flatten with your fingers.
5. 5

   Remove from heat and add vanilla

   The moment your thermometer hits 236F, pull the pot off the heat. Don't wait for a perfect 238F if you're new to this. Better to be slightly under than over. Add the vanilla (it will sputter and steam, so stand back) and stir it in quickly.

6. 6

   Beat until it thickens

   Now stir vigorously with your wooden spoon. Add the toasted pecans and keep stirring. You're watching for a transformation. The mixture starts out glossy and pourable. As you stir, it will begin to lose that shine, turning from liquid gloss to a matte, thick consistency. This happens somewhere between two and five minutes of stirring. The exact moment varies based on humidity, altitude, and how hot your mixture got. When it starts to hold its shape briefly on the spoon before melting back, you're ready.

   If the mixture gets too thick to drop before you finish, stir in a tablespoon of hot water to loosen it. Work fast.
7. 7

   Drop the pralines

   Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto your prepared baking sheets. Use a second spoon to push the candy off the first. The pralines will spread slightly and then hold their shape. Each one should be about three inches across with pecans visible throughout. If the candy in your pot starts to seize before you finish, don't fight it. Whatever pralines you got out are your reward. The rest becomes pecan candy bark, which is also delicious.

8. 8

   Cool completely

   Let pralines cool at room temperature for at least thirty minutes until completely set. They should lift off the parchment cleanly and have a matte surface with a slight texture. The inside will be creamy and soft, not hard like a brittle. If they're too soft and sticky, your temperature was too low. If they're grainy and crumbly, you either cooked too high or stirred too early while boiling. Make notes and adjust next time. That's the bayou way.

Chef Tips

• •Louisiana pecans are worth seeking out. They're smaller than Georgia pecans but more intensely flavored. Any fresh pecan works, but taste the difference if you can find local ones.
• •Humidity is the enemy of candy making. On rainy days or in humid kitchens, pralines take longer to set and may stay tacky. Choose a dry day when you can.
• •Don't double this recipe. Larger batches cook unevenly and set up before you can drop them all. Make two separate batches instead.
• •Store pralines in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep for two weeks but rarely last that long. At Lagniappe, we wrap them individually in wax paper for gifting.

Advance Preparation

• •Pecans can be toasted up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
• •Finished pralines keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
• •Do not refrigerate pralines. The humidity in the refrigerator makes them sticky and soft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 33g)