A deliciously easy southern treat these Pecan Pralines take minimal ingredients and are melt in your mouth, crunchy and utterly mouthwatering.
When it comes to confections, Pecan Pralines are one of my favorites. My mom used to live down in Mississippi and a coworker of hers gave her this recipe and she brought it back with her when she moved back to the midwest.
It has been a family tradition to whip these bad boys up whenever there is any holidays or get togethers because everyone absolutely loves them.
My mother and I always have a debate on how you say the name, we say it 100% different I pronounce them pee-can pray-leans. Where as she says peh-kahn prah-lines.
Not saying either of us are wrong, but…I’m right.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- The minimal ingredients makes it easy to whip up, 7 ingredients in total make these Pralines absolutely delicious.
- They are a fun and quick recipe that is perfect for holiday gifts or get togethers, no one can say no to a praline.
- With the use of a candy thermometer, it makes this recipe almost fool-proof.
Now like I said above I highly recommend getting a candy thermometer, especially if you are making any sort of candy.
It helps you know exactly what temperature and when to do certain things, it’s been a godsend, please do not use any other type of thermometer.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PRALINES, STEP BY STEP:
Preheat your oven to 300. Spread your pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for about 10 minutes, remove to cool (Photo 1).
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In sauce pan add sugar, brown sugar, salt, evaporated milk and butter. Cook over high heat until candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage) (Photos 2 & 3).
Remove from heat and add in your pecans and vanilla, stir vigorously until mixture becomes thick, then quickly drop by 1/4ish cupfuls onto prepared baking sheets (Photos 4-6).
Let set up and crystalize. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours, but usually shorter than the 2 hour mark.
HOW TO STORE PECAN PRALINES:
You first want to let them cool fully. For peak freshness it’s best to wrap each praline individually in plastic wrap then store in an airtight container, a metal tin works well.
Store at room temperature, to cold or warm head can damage the quality of the pralines themselves. They should last about 3 weeks stored this way, but usually are eaten before hand.
CAN YOU FREEZE PECAN PRALINES?
Yes, absolutely. I still recommend that you wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container.
They should last in the freezer for about 2 months. To defrost, unwrap and let sit until they come to room temperature before enjoying!
These Pecan Pralines are just one of our favorite holiday treats, mainly because I’m addicted to any and all things with pecans!
I used to hate pecans, but I’ve grown to love them over the years! Some of my other favorite recipes using pecans include: Butter Pecan Brandy Fudge, Pecan Pie Cake and Pecan Pie Bars.
Now it does take some practice to get this candy right. So don’t sweat it if you don’t get it on the first try. There is a method that comes with candy making.
If your pralines are too runny, that means it’s not cooked long enough, if they are too hard and brittle it means that they are cooked too long.
But like I said, there is a method and don’t be upset, it takes some practice and you will get it down! Sometimes people are also naturals when it comes to candy making and it turns out the first time!
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING PECAN PRALINES:
- Use a candy thermometer!
- You can chop up your pecans if you like smaller bites.
- Wait until you see them crystalize before storing or eating. This happens when it looks like little air bubbles are on the surface.
- You can substitute milk, half and half or heavy cream, but I highly recommend using the evaporated milk.
If you want that perfect candy recipe that everyone can’t stop eating then you need to whip up a batch of these Pecan Pralines! It will be a keeper in your recipe box for sure!
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If you’ve tried these PECAN PRALINES or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Pecan Pralines
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tbs butter
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cup pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300. Spread your pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for about 10 minutes, remove to cool.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In sauce pan add sugar, brown sugar, salt, evaporated milk and butter. Cook over high heat until candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage).
- Remove from heat and add in your pecans and vanilla, stir vigorously until mixture becomes thick, then quickly drop by 1/4ish cupfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
- Let set up and crystalize. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours, but usually shorter than the 2 hour mark.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer!
- You can chop up your pecans if you like smaller bites.
- Wait until you see them crystalize before storing or eating. This happens when it looks like little air bubbles are on the surface.
- You can substitute milk, half and half or heavy cream, but I highly recommend using the evaporated milk.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Chris
Easier than I expected and delicious!
Sherlyn
The pecan pralines came out so delicious! They were shiny and glossy! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Kaycee Williams
Absolutely Delicious! I made them for my family and I ended up eating most of them.
The first time I made pecan pralines I did not get the candy hot enough. This time I followed the instructions and voila it was the right consistency and tast
Gerry Cruthird
They look delicious. Your MAMA is correct in the pronunciation. We say peh-kahn prah-lines in south Mississippi. Fortunately, however it is pronounced doesn’t change the taste one bit.
DSnow
The recipe says to preheat oven to 30. I’m assuming it’s supposed to be 300?
Tornadough Alli
Yes, sorry about that, corrected now.