Creamy New Orleans Pralines

gailanng's Note:

Worth the effort to master the art of praline-making. Give as gifts, great for holiday parties or to bring to the office. See note below for the option of toasted pecans.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 4.5 dozen

• 3 cups chopped pecans
• 2 cups light brown sugar , packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1⁄3; cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons butter , unsalted
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, milk, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, to 230°F Lower heat slightly if the mixture threatens to boil over.
2. Add the pecans and continue cooking, stirring constantly, to 236°F The mixture should form a soft ball when a little is dropped in cold water. Remove from the heat and add vanilla; let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thickened and slightly creamy, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, spoon the pralines onto a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper. If the mixture becomes grainy, heat and stir over medium heat for a few seconds, or until it can be easily scooped and dropped.
4. Optional Toasted Pecans:.
5. Heat oven to 350°. Spread chopped pecans out on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the chopped pecans are lightly browned and aromatic. This can also be achieved by microwaving pecans on a microwave-safe plate in 30 second increments.

Reviews

[cj2 Johnson]

Very good recipe! I used all half and half because I had a quart that needed to be used up and a whole stick of salted butter because I didnt see any reason to leave 2 lonely tablespoons behind. I also used roasted and salted pecans because I enjoy a touch of saltiness in my sweets therefore I left the salt in the recipe out. And I did add a tablespoon of "bourbon" for flavor and karo to keep it from crystalizing on me. They turned out great! Thanks for this recipe and I hope you dont mind me posting the changes I made. I only made the changes because the cooking bug wont let me follow a recipe to the letter. I will make these again for the holidays and in the meantime I am going to donate these to our local Volunteer Fire Fighter fund raiser and hope they bring a few bucks for our guys and gals that risk their lives to keep us safe.