Ryan and I have an ongoing debate about the correct way to pronounce these cookies, is it PRAW-leans or PRAY-leans? His family is from Louisiana so he claims his birthright is to dictate the pronunciation, but since it's a candy from my family I believe I should get the right.
Anyways, these candies are amazing and actually super simple to make. All you need is a good pot and a candy thermometer and you're ready to bake!
To get started with making these, combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar, the 1/2 cup of milk and evaporated milk with 1/4 cup butter and the salt. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, it'll take a few minutes, but make sure and not go much higher than medium heat or you'll risk burning it. Make sure and stir frequently while you're brining it to a boil. Place the candy thermometer in the pot so you can clearly see the temperature.
Once it's boiling, add the pecans and keep stirring. Let the mixture keep heating up until it reaches the soft ball stage of 234 degrees. The candy thermometer I use has soft ball stage marked on it, but if yours doesn't just keep a careful eye on the temperature.
Fun fact about candy boiling temperatures. My Mom told me that the way they got the names for the temperature (because what the heck is a soft ball?) is that when people would make candy and wanted to make sure it reached a certain point they would take a dab of the candy, put it in some water, and see how it reacted. If it made a soft ball, then it was at the soft ball stage. If it made a thread then it was at the, you guessed it, thread stage, and so on. I thought that was interesting!
While I'm waiting on the mixture to boil I ready two silpat sheets to spoon my pralines on when they're done.
Once your praline mixture reaches the soft ball stage, pull it off the heat and stir it a few times until it looks creamy. This shouldn't take very long. As soon as its creamy I start spooning it onto the silpats. Don't overthink the spooning process. I literally just dunk a spoon into the mixture and plop it onto the silpat. Our pralines aren't meant to be perfectly round. Do this quickly because the longer the mixture cools in the pot the cloudier it will be.
Once you're done spooning it out, that's it. You're done. Just let it sit on the sheets for a bit to cool and harden for a bit (at least 15 minutes, but depending on weather more time might be necessary), it'll still be sticky and tacky to the touch. Enjoy!
PECAN PRALINES
SERVES: 3 DOZEN | PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES | COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES
2 cups sugar 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup milk ½ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup butter ¼ tsp. salt 3 cups broken pecans
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine sugar and brown sugar and both milks with butter and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring slowly to a full rolling boil over medium heat.
2. Add the nuts and continue boiling until candy reaches the soft ball stage, 234 degrees, on the candy thermometer.
3. Remove from heat and stir only enough to give a creamy look. Spoon out on wax paper, a buttered baking sheet, or aluminum foil that has been sprayed with pam.
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