If you get one homemade treat at Christmastime in Louisiana, it’s probably going to be a praline. And if you call it a “pray-leen” within earshot of anyone from here, you will be mocked mercilessly because it is apparently pronounced “prah-leen.” But since I can’t call it a prah-leen without feelings of wrongness climbing into my throat, whenever I’m around native Louisianans, I try to do everything I can to just not say the word at all.
These New Orleans-style pralines are rich, creamy confections built from brown sugar, cream, and plenty of pecans for a classic Southern treat. The sugar cooks down to a soft, fudgy texture that melts on your tongue, while the toasted pecans give each piece a satisfying crunch.
Ingredients & Equipment Needed
- heavy whipping cream
- corn syrup – light or dark, either is fine
- white sugar
- orange – The orange zest is optional, and you’re not going to find it in traditional pralines. But it is super yummy.
- pecans
- kosher salt – optional
- large stock pot
- candy thermometer
How to Make New Orleans-Style Pralines
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- In a large, heavy pot, cook the cream, corn syrup, sugar, and optional zest until the mixture thickens and turns golden.
- Continue cooking to soft-ball stage, then stir in the pecans and cook a bit longer until slightly thicker.
- Remove from heat and quickly spoon portions onto lined baking sheets.
- Sprinkle with salt if desired and let stand until fully set and firm, with a soft, fudgy texture.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week once set.
Storage & Other Tips
- It takes a long time: there are a few simple ingredients and the instructions are short. Don’t be deceived. What starts out as what you think will be simple, harmless fun could end up going on for hours. And you can’t leave, because those are the rules of candy. There will be a point when you wonder if you will ever leave this sugary prison, trust me.
- Bubbling over: In the early stages, this boils over very easily, so watch it carefully.
- Finnicky factors: Altitude and humidity can impact your results. Higher altitudes may need to cook things a touch longer than lower altitudes. Don’t try to make these if it’s raining or snowing or overly humid outside, they won’t set up.
- Prepare your baking sheets right away: get your baking sheets lined with parchment paper right after you get your ingredients in the pot simmering, or before you begin cooking. You want these ready to go! Once you have to scoop out the pralines, you need to do it very quickly. You don’t want to get the pans ready at the last second.
- Setting up & final stages: they should have kind of a matte-ish finish instead of being shiny or oily and they should more or less hold their shape, especially in the middle. I like mine sprinkled with just a little bit of kosher salt–it kind of offsets the super sweet sweetness and adds another flavor dimension. The texture should be similar to fudge, not chewy like caramel or hard like toffee or peanut brittle.
Frequently Asked Questions
That usually means the sugar mixture didn’t reach the proper temperature long enough. Make sure it cooks to the recommended stage before dropping onto sheets.
It’s a candy-making term, when a bit of the hot syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft, pliable ball. A candy thermometer is a must for this recipe, and is an easy way to gauge this.
Orange zest adds a subtle citrus note that brightens the sweetness. It’s optional but gives a nice complexity if you include it.
Crystallization can happen if sugar splashes on the sides of the pot or if the mixture isn’t stirred properly early on. Using a clean pot and stirring gently helps. You want to avoid sugar crystals on the sides of the pan at all costs.
Yes. They set at room temperature and keep well for several days, so they’re great to make in advance.
New Orleans-Style Pralines
Ingredients
- 1 quart whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup light or dark
- 1 pound white sugar
- zest of 1 orange optional
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- light sprinkling of kosher salt optional
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, combine the cream, corn syrup, sugar, and orange zest (if using). Cook over low to medium-low, stirring occasionally. In the early stages, be careful not to let it boil over.
- When the mixture starts to thicken, start stirring constantly. The mixture will gradually turn golden brown and become thick and bubbly.
- When it reaches 240°, add the pecans and cook, stirring constantly (and into all the nooks and crannies of the pot, but being careful not to splash up the sides too much) until your mixture reaches 248 degrees. Remove from heat.
- Using two dessert spoons or a half-tablespoon cookie scoop, spoon the pralines onto the lined baking sheets. If desired, lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Allow to stand for at least 30 minutes, but it could take up to a day or two for these to become solid. The consistency should be similar to fudge, maybe slightly drier. It shouldn’t be chewy like caramel, or hard like toffee.
- After they set up, they can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container.
Questions & Reviews
Your cookbook is 50% off right now?! As sad as I am that I don’t own it yet, I’m glad that I waited and can now buy it!
Yes! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Hilarious! A food blog that cracks me up. Perfect!
Oh my goodness, this made me laugh! I have a wild idea about trying to replicate a soft caramel at home (I am too cheap to buy them online and the only store that sells them is a craft store and I feel like an idiot going in there to buy individually wrapped caramels by the fistful), but I can’t decide if it’s worth the inevitable heartbreak. Merry Christmas!
http://www.makeit-loveit.com posted a soft caramel recipe yesterday that looks super easy.
Pralines are so so good!
Oooh! My mom used to make pralines when we lived in New Orleans, but I haven’t had them in forever. Maybe I’ll have to try making them with my kids after Christmas. Thanks for a little nostalgia trip.
Also, thanks for the pickle chuckle. All I ever find is petrified string cheese and old, cheesy sippy cups, which aren’t nearly as entertaining.
Ever so often I take it upon myself to go on a quest to find the best pralines recipe. Thus far I have been disappointed with my results, most recipes use brown sugar and the end result is invariably grainy. Ick! I’m looking forward to trying this one! Thanks!! P.S. If you are referring to the toffee recipe that consists of sugar, butter (and a bit of water) and you’re baffled as to why it separates into a horrid mess try cooking it on medium high to high heat. If you don’t it will separate. Everytime. (I have also found a cast iron skillet works well but not absolutely essential.)
These look fabulous!
Thanks for the laugh! I just finished a week full of many (some failed, some successful) batches of caramels, and your post rang a little too true. I end up making candy about every four years. Just like having a newborn baby, you need a little time in-between each one to forget what it all entails.
Love this!!! Third time was the charm for my first attempt. Sweet victory!!! 🙂
And I did tell my friend that if I never made them again I would be ok. With a few of them left I’m already thinking about my next batch… so much like having a baby!!! Ha!!!
Yum! My mom makes homemade pralines, one recipe with sweet cream and one with buttermilk, and they are probably my favorite of all the candy she makes. Some day I’ll have the guts to make them myself, but now that I live in Washington it will have to be during the six weeks of summer we get up here. The rest of the year it’s too wet. And don’t feel bad if you call them “pray-leens.” I’m from Texas and my mom is a native North Carolinian and that’s what we call them.
Of the 3 “traditional” things I’ve actually eaten while actually in New Orelans (muffaletta, prah-leens, and beignets), this is the only one I’ve never made at home! Can’t wait to try it out! Even if you do make it sound like it’s the longest thing it will ever take me to make. 😀