Southern Pecan Pralines
An easy, tasty candy, these Southern Pecan Pralines are creamy, crunchy, sweet and amazingly delicious. Perfect for gatherings or gift giving!
A TASTY CANDY RECIPE
Pecan pralines are a staple sweet treat around here and we make them all year long. You don’t have to wait for the holidays to make this southern candy. I feel like pecan pralines are one of those things that you can’t just go out and buy. You have to make them at home to enjoy them. Unless of course, you live near a sweet shop that sells them. They are so much easier to make than you might think and I break it all down for you in this recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
The basic recipe consists of sugar, corn syrup, milk, butter and pecans.
They are much like a brown sugar fudge but not as fudgy. The candy itself is soft and then you have the contrasting crunch from the pecans.
I love food history and this is a fun one. We know that pralines are hugely popular in the southern United States but they actually originated in France! When a large amount of French immigrants settled in Louisiana, they brought their praline recipe with them. This is why New Orleans is famous for its praline candy. The original pralines were usually made with almonds but switched to pecans since they are more prevalent in the south.
We like to use two different sizes for our Pralines, we like to use chopped and halves. You will find other recipes that use different, but this is how I like it for the texture in this recipe.
No, they are a nice balance. I always add a little salt to balance out that sweetness. If you really like want to turn up the sweet and salty flavor, you can add flaked sea salt to the tops of these.
This is normal, it is part of the crystallization process while they are hardening. This does not affect the texture or flavor of these so do not worry if that happens.
These can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop where they will keep for up to 10 days. Pralines can also be frozen. Place in a freezer container and they will keep for up to 3 months. To defrost remove from the freezer and place on countertop until thawed.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- heavy cream
- light corn syrup
- fine sea salt
- pecan halves
- chopped pecans
- vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN PECAN PRALINES:
Line three sheet trays with foil and spray with cooking spray, set aside. Place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, and salt into a large pot or dutch oven.
Place over medium-low heat and let the butter melt and sugars dissolve, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat up to medium stirring occasionally (make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks) and bring to a low boil. Cook and stir occasionally until a candy thermometer reaches 236°F (soft ball stage) about 6-7 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add in the pecan halves, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract.
Stir in then do not stir again, allow the temperature to come down to 170°F, about 15 minutes
Stir it around with a wooden spoon for about a minute to slightly let it cool, the mixture will still appear slightly glossy but will start thickening.
Immediately dollop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared sheet trays not touching. Let them rest and harden for about 8 hours or overnight.
Then serve and enjoy!
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Southern Pecan Pralines
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoons
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line three sheet trays with foil and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
- Place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, and salt into a large pot or dutch oven.
- Place over medium-low heat and let the butter melt and sugars dissolve, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat up to medium stirring occasionally (make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks) and bring to a low boil. Cook and stir occasionally until a candy thermometer reaches 236°F (soft ball stage) about 6-7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add in the pecan halves, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in then do not stir again, allow the temperature to come down to 170°F, about 15 minutes.
- Stir it around with a wooden spoon for about a minute to slightly let it cool, the mixture will still appear slightly glossy but will start thickening.
- Immediately dollop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared sheet trays not touching. Let them rest and harden for about 8 hours or overnight. Serve immediately.
Notes
- These need to set up for 8 hours.
- You can speed up the setting process by putting them in the refrigerator.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do this.
- Make sure you use a large pan so the sugar mixture does not bubble over.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
These are delicious! Made to your recipe and it was perfect. I’ve tried other recipes and they were okay but this was over the top good!
My new praline recipe.
I always had issues with other recipes of them setting/hardening too quickly.
This recipe is wonderful and makes the best pralines.