Famous New Orleans Pecan Pralines. A great Southern, New Orleans institution! Delicious buttery brown sugar candy type cookie in one, made of pecans, butter, sugar, and milk. Great for Christmas time too!
Pralines are so famous in New Orleans they have become an institution!
What are pralines?
There's a lot of history to these candies, and they're famous in New Orleans. True Pralines are made from sugar, milk (or cream), butter and almonds or hazlenuts.
Pralines were originally brought to Louisiana by French immigrants, and due to a large amount of pecans in the south, the original pralines were soon adapted to use pecan nuts instead of the traditional almonds or hazelnuts.
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Pralines are crunchy, think along the lines of a peanut brittle. They make for a perfect Christmas time treat, often gift wrapped and given to friends and family as presents over the festive season.
Sally's Pecan Pralines are made every year ready for Christmas and they're so delicious she usually has to make a few batches as one never lasts!
Do Pralines keep well?
These Pecan Pralines even travel well! The photo you see below is the pralines Sally made in her kitchen in America, and she kindly sent me a package with a mug all the way to Holland in Europe.
They were delicious, even after traveling all those miles in the post. Only one had broken in transit, so if you are thinking of mailing some to a friend, wrap them very well with bubble wrap!
Recipe by Sally Hall
Prep time
5 minutes
Baking time
Approx 20 minutes
Serving size
24
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cups White Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Milk + 2-3 Tablespoons
2 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
2 cups chopped Pecans
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
1. In a large pan i.e. Dutch Oven, spray with non-stick oil. Mix both sugars, 1 cup of milk and salt.
Cook on medium high heat (start your timer when mixture begins to boil – set for 14 minutes) STIR CONSTANTLY.
2. Remove from heat and add butter and pecans. Stir mixture constantly – approximately 2-3 minutes.
As it begins to cool it will thicken and set. Now add your vanilla (you don’t want to add the vanilla while it’s so hot that it all evaporates.)
Keep stirring and add the remaining milk a teaspoon at a time.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper or parchment paper. Let cool and set, about 2-3 hours.
Store covered or individually wrapped in plastic.
Sally's Tips:
As with most candies you get familiar with the colors and textures to know when it's right.
I wish there was a tried and true exact recipe, but so many variations on cooks, utensils, equipment that sometimes it takes a time or two to get it just right.
I have the times down pretty close, but if you find the praline mixture doesn't thicken enough return to the pot which I've done many times to let it cook another few minutes. And worst case if it won't harden or gets too hard, return to the pot adding more milk and butter and use as ice cream topping.
It will still be delicious!
Recipe Card
Pecan Pralines
Pecan Pralines. A great Southern, New Orleans institution! Delicious buttery brown sugar candy type cookie in one, made of pecans, butter, sugar, and milk. Great for Christmas time too!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups White Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Milk + 2-3 Tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
- 2 cups chopped Pecans
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a large pan i.e. Dutch Oven, spray with non-stick oil. Mix both sugars, 1 cup of milk and salt. Cook on medium high heat (start your timer when mixture begins to boil – set for 14 minutes) STIR CONSTANTLY.
- Remove from heat and add butter and pecans. Stir mixture constantly – approximately 2-3 minutes. As it begins to cool it will thicken and set. Now add your vanilla (you don’t want to add the vanilla while it’s so hot that it all evaporates.) Keep stirring and add the remaining milk a teaspoon at a time.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper or parchment paper. Let cool and set, about 2-3 hours.
- Store covered or individually wrapped in plastic.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 169Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 1g
Delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas
Here's a selection of delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas and Thanksgiving
Cherry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars. A.K.A Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars. An incredibly quick, easy recipe with cream cheese and cherries sandwiched between layers of flaky buttery golden pastry. Popular cream cheese crescent roll dessert
Pecan Caramel Monkey Bread, Easy recipe for how to make it. Sticky caramel-coated pieces of bread with a sprinkling of chocolate chips & pecan nuts baked in a bundt pan. A great pull-apart bread recipe using store-bought biscuits.
Pecan and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies.
Soft and Chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, these are the BEST EVER oatmeal cookies, loaded with pecan nuts and raisins. A simple classic cookie recipe
Easy Honey Baklava. Baklava is a Middle Eastern classic sweet treat, filled with a variety of nuts, honey, citrus, and spices, between layers of crunchy phyllo pastry. Ideal for serving at parties, or to have as a snack. An easy and simple recipe for the best baklava!
Honey Roasted Nuts, a delicious easy snack, perfect for parties and gifts too! Seasoned with honey and cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
Soft and Chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, these are the BEST EVER oatmeal cookies, loaded with white chocolate. A simple classic cookie recipe
Microwave Peanut Brittle. A super easy and fuss-free recipe. Perfect for the holidays and great for making ahead. Give as gifts or have all to yourself!
Easy Chocolate Truffles. Creamy, rich homemade chocolate truffles are easy to make and perfect for gifts.
Cappuccino Chocolate Truffles. Creamy, rich chocolate and coffee-flavored homemade truffles are easy to make and perfect for gifts.
Almond Pastries. A perfect treat to have with a cup of tea!
Orange Chocolate Truffles, luxuriously creamy and decadent, these are easy to make and perfect for gifts and parties!
Mini Homemade Pecan Pies. Delicious individual mini pies all made from scratch and super easy too
Amaretti Style Cranberry and Orange Almond Cookies. These amaretti-style biscuits use minimal flour and have a light airy finish, fit to accompany desserts and drinks light as a feather and fat-free too!
Double Chocolate and Orange Biscotti are lovely little Italian cookies perfect for having with a cup of coffee. Easy to make, and make perfect gifts too!
Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies. A lovely easy recipe and great for gift packages at Christmas!
German Star Cookies, also known as Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies are a wonderful cookie for Christmas. They're crisp, chewy and spiced with all things nice!
Pecan Raisin Cookies. Delicious easy cookies perfect with a glass of milk or cup of tea! Also great for gifts!
French Almond Palmier cookies or Elephant Ears are a delicious little cookie filled with almonds and perfect for the holidays! Quick and easy to make too!
Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies. Perfect with a cup of tea or glass of milk! A very easy cookie recipe.
Coconut and Rum White Chocolate Truffles, luxuriously creamy and decadent, these are easy to make and perfect for gifts and parties!
Bacon Crack. A.K.A Bacon Saltine Cracker Candy.
Christmas Crack. If you've never tried this you're missing out! Really easy recipe and always a hit at home!
Irish Cream Chocolate Bark! A delicious chocolate treat loaded with cranberries, cookies and honey spiced nuts. Perfect for the holidays and great for gifts.
Cream Filled Brandy Snaps - A wonderful cookie type treat, oddly enough, with no brandy! One is never enough so be sure to make plenty!
Easy Chocolate Party Pretzels are a great snack made up of delicious crunchy salted pretzels and a variety of chocolate. Once you start eating these you can't stop!
These are a wonderful cookie type treat, with lots of delicious goodies in
them, and coated on one side with white or dark or milk chocolate. Easy recipe!
Salted Caramel Cashew Nut Popcorn.
A delicious combination of salt and caramel coating homemade popcorn. Easy recipe for popping corn
White Chocolate Peanut Clusters! These little chocolate bites are quick and easy to make. You can also add raisins, your favorite nuts, cranberries, whatever you like! You choose!
Chocolate Pecan Cookies are filled with pecans and chocolate, crispy on the outside and chewy inside, easy cookie recipe and perfect with a glass of milk or cup of tea! Also great for gifts!
Nanny's Chocolate Nut Fudge. A tried and true family recipe and great for gifts! Use a cookie cutter to make pretty shapes too!
Homemade Lemon Mints are just like the famous Altoid mints, and have a curiously strong flavor. Easy and fun to make little candies!
Homemade Cinnamon Mints are just like the famous Altoid mints, and have a curiously strong flavor. Easy and fun to make little candies!