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

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!

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.

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.

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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

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!

📋 Recipe Card

Yield: 24

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!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

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.