New Orleans Pecan Pralines Recipe

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This New Orleans Pralines recipe is straight from a professional chef in New Orleans with Creole heritage. It was so good I had to share it!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Equipment

Candy Thermometer or regular food thermometer

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar packed
1/2 cup Whole Milk
6 tbsp Butter
1 &1/2 cup Pecans Roasted, optional roasting (skip if you want to save time)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pull out a baking sheet pan and line it with greased parchment paper or wax paper. If you're using wax paper, it's advised to put a buffer underneath it such as newspaper so that the hot wax doesn't ruin your pan.
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, achieving a "softball stage" (235-240 degrees F). Do not go over this temperature, or the mixture will be too firm.
1 & 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup Whole Milk, 6 tbsp Butter, 1 &1/2 cup Pecans, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Remove from heat. Stir constantly so the hot sugar doesn't crystalize, and keep stirring until the mixture becomes creamy and cloudy about 3-5 minutes. You'll know it's ready when you can scrape your wooden spoon down the middle, and it takes a full second for the mixture to come back together. The pecans should stay suspended in the thick, saucy liquid. Don't over cool it though as it will become grainy! Make make sure the mixture is still soft and extra creamy.
Scoop and place individual globs onto the prepared sheet pan spaced an inch or two apart, and let cool completely to room temperature. Be careful not to eat it while it's hot, as hot sugar can quickly burn your mouth.

Notes

This recipe is courtesy of the New Orleans Cooking School! Make sure to check it out if you are in Nola, it was probably my favorite activity while there! I can't recommend it enough :)

Nutrition