Name: Pecan Pralines
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
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

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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!

Table of Contents 📋 hide

1) What are pralines?

2) Do Pralines keep well?

11) Delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas

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! Just make sure you put them in an air-tight food bag and bubble wrap so they don't break.

Recipe by Sally Hall

Prep time

5 minutes

Baking time

Approx 20 minutes

Serving size

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar
1 ½ cups White Sugar
¼ 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!

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Pecan Pralines

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar
1 ½ cups White Sugar
¼ 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.

Delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas

Here's a selection of delicious Sweet Snacks for Christmas and Thanksgiving

Pecan Caramel Monkey Bread

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.

Mini Almond Pastries

Mini Almond Pastries.
These Mini Almond Pastries have a deliciously smooth, sweet, almond paste filling and are wrapped in crispy, light puff pastry. Quick and easy to make, and perfect for a tea time treat.

Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos, an easy no-bake cereal bar similar to rice krispie treats. Peanut butter, chocolate & butterscotch with a chocolate butterscotch topping. A chewy, soft, and crispy treat

Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies

Easy Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies, AKA Elephant Ears. These are a very easy to make crispy puff pastry cookie, filled with sesame seeds and brown sugar. Great for the holidays!

Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Bread Rolls)

Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Bread Rolls).
Pani Popo are deliciously soft, fluffy Samoan coconut bread buns, baked in a sweet and thick coconut sauce. Sticky soft bread rolls, ideal for breakfast, dessert or as a snack

Honey Bun Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting

Honey Bun Cupcakes are lovely and soft with great flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar and topped with a homemade honey buttercream frosting

Mini Donut Balls

Mini Donut Balls.
Delicious homemade mini donut balls, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, using a poolish starter to give tender and flavorful dough. Easy recipe and great for parties

Easy English Tiffin

Easy English Tiffin is a delicious no-bake British colonial recipe, made of chocolate, crushed cookies, syrup, and raisins, often served at English afternoon tea.

Easy Honey Baklava

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!