How to Make Homemade Pralines | Quick and Easy Dessert Recipe (2024)

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Learn how to make delicious Homemade Pralines with this super easy recipe from the New Orleans School of Cooking! They’re so nutty and sweet, you’ll want to make them all the time!

How to Make Homemade Pralines | Quick and Easy Dessert Recipe (1)

Easy Homemade Pralines Recipe

What a great weekend I had in New Orleans last week. I was fortunate to spend 4 days with a group of bloggers and the LA Seafood Board. We ate our way through the best restaurants and met with seafood fisherman to get a hands on look at how much love and work goes into their jobs. A real eye opening experience, I have so much respect for all of them.

Exploring New Orleans

Let me take you through a peek at the adventures we went on day 1.

We were so lucky to stay at The Bourbon Orleans Hotel, right in the middle of the French Quarter.

Photo via Marla Meridith

We had a lovely gift bag of sweets from Sucre’ Bakery Boutique and a giant arrangement of Zatarains products waiting in our rooms. How gorgeous is this?

Last Thursday evening we dined at the Bistro at Maison De Ville. The food was delicious, I tried my first set of frog legs. So cliche, but yes tasted like chicken 🙂

I am not sure what I will do without Camillia’s Grill. Amanda and I enjoyed their charming diner 3 times in 4 days. No kidding, they had the best breakfast Western Omelet I have ever had. See photos below. We spotted their secret ingredient. Finely chopped ham and peppers sauteed in LOTS of butter before the eggs get poured over. Worth every single calorie.

Here is the inside diner. Love Love Loved it 🙂

Here are the guys hard at work, they were as sweet as the food was delicious. It’s a must do if you are in New Orleans.

The photos don’t even do these dishes justice. We split a side of pancakes and some grits too. Love!

After breakfast on Friday, we headed to the Louisiana Seafood Festival, lots to see and even more to eat. I got a kick out of the gator offerings. You don’t see this in Orange County 🙂 Matt and Adam tried the gator sausage and everyone raved about it, guess Mr. Gator is mighty tasty.

We also had front row seats to chef demo’s at the festival. Talented local Chef’s prepared beautiful seafood dishes and shared. How good does that shrimp and coconut look that Chef John Folse is holding?

Here we are getting interviewed by the LA Seafood camera man. Not sure where our faces will show up. Matt and Amanda doing a fine job on camera 🙂

Photo Via Matt Amaranderiz

Marla, Me and Gaby taking pics of the gorgeous chef dishes. Always snapping photos aren’t we?!

Ahhh, the ever so famous Cafe Du Monde. Before I went to New Orleans, EVERYONE said you must get beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I don’t drink coffee, but I hear their coffee is a must order as well. It’s a small outside coffee shop with powdered sugar all over the floor. You can see why by the looks of those beignets. Very charming indeed and how can you go wrong with a fried piece of goodness covered in powdered sugar?

Happy girl with my beignets 🙂

The New Orleans School of Cooking

We also had the pleasure of watching cooking demo’s from Chef Ann at the New Orleans School of Cooking. The food was outstanding!

On the left is Ann the cooking instructor who was the cutest sweetest grandma you’ll ever meet. On the right is Dan serving up the grub. We could come up and help ourselves….and even have seconds 🙂

Photo via Amanda

Maggy and I snapping some serious photos, lol!

Photo via Amanda

Me, Maggy and Amanda at the cooking school 🙂 We enjoyed Corn and Crab Bisque, Crawfish Etouffee, Banana’s Foster and Homemade Pralines….which I have the recipe for you!!

How to Make Homemade Pralines | Quick and Easy Dessert Recipe (20)

How to Make Homemade Pralines

Learn how to make deliciousHomemade Pralineswith this super easy recipe from the New Orleans School of Cooking! They're so nutty and sweet, you'll want to make them all the time!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Belgian

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 23 minutes mins

Servings: 40 pralines

Calories: 86kcal

Author: Jenny

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Equipment

  • Stove

  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans roasted
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients and bring to a “softball stage” (238-240 degrees F), stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

  • Stir until mixture thickens (again stirring constantly), becomes creamy and cloudy, and pecans stay suspended in mixture. Spoon out on buttered waxed paper, aluminum foil or parchment paper.

  • *When using waxed paper, be sure to buffer with newspaper underneath, as hot wax will transfer to whatever is beneath.

  • Options: Praline sauce (add 1/2 cup corn syrup to mixture). Chocolate covered praline candy. Flavored pralines (chocolate, coffee, brandy, etc.)

Notes

Recipe by The New Orleans School of Cooking

To roast pecans, bake them on a sheet pan at 275 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant.

Makes 1-50 Pralines depending on desired size

Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Keywords: easy dessert recipe, quick and easy dessert

________________________________

Stay tuned for more New Orleans Adventures and more recipes!

To see the full list of bloggers who I was with click HERE

How to Make Homemade Pralines | Quick and Easy Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is praline main ingredient? ›

praline, in French confectionery, a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling, analogous to marzipan; also, a sugar-coated almond or other nutmeat.

Why won't my pralines get hard? ›

If you beat too long, the candy will seize and start to crumble. If you don't beat it long enough, then pralines won't set properly and will stay soft and sticky.

How long does homemade pralines stay fresh? ›

Pralines will keep well for 1 or 2 weeks at room temperature. After that, the sugar will begin to crystallize and the candy will get harder and gritty. To ensure they stay fresh, proper storage is key. Pack them in an airtight container as soon as the candy hardens and use parchment or wax paper to separate layers.

How do you thicken pralines? ›

Once it's at the right temperature, remove the pot from the stove and add the pecans, salt and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously with a rubber spatula for about 3 1/2 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken and the longer you stir it, the thicker it will get. The thicker it gets, the firmer your pralines will end up.

What's the difference between a praline and a praline? ›

A praliné is a paste that is a mixture of nuts, chocolate and sugar. While in Belgium, a 'praline' is defined as a filled chocolate candy. Note that the term 'praline' is of Belgian origin.

What's the difference between a praline and a pecan? ›

For one, pecan pralines are a patty-shaped candy made from pecans and several other ingredients, typically sugar, butter, and cream. Praline pecans, on the other hand, are individual pecan nuts with a praline-flavored coating.

Why are my pralines gooey? ›

sometimes I have no idea why they won't harden. But if your pralines are still gooey after 30-40 minutes, you may have to scrape them back into the pan and heat them again. Add a tablespoon of milk, melt the sugar, and as before, stir constantly while you bring them to a boil.

Can you overcook pralines? ›

Pralines should be cooked to 236°F (soft ball stage) so that it is still pliable when it cools and so it maintains the smooth sandy texture typical of pralines. This is impossible to determine without a thermometer, and if you overheat the sugar, you are guaranteed to make pralines that are too firm and grainy.

Why do pralines turn white? ›

Pralines are a much-appreciated festive treat, but come to think of it, they're simply delicious at any time of the year. When your pralines turn white, you are seeing the recrystallization of sugar. And you are right that honey does technically slow down the rate at which crystals form in candy.

Can I freeze pralines? ›

To freeze pralines, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in a zipper top bag or freezer container. The pralines are still a bit delicate when frozen, so don't stack other things on top of them and make sure they're in a part of the freezer where they won't get smashed.

What nut is in praline? ›

Pralines (US: /ˈpreɪliːn/; New Orleans, Cajun, and UK: /ˈprɑːliːn/) are confections containing nuts – usually almonds, pecans and hazelnuts – and sugar. Cream is a common third ingredient. American pralines cooling on a marble slab.

Are pralines a southern thing? ›

Nowadays most people are unaware of the candy's historical origin, and the praline is thought of as a southern confection not necessarily specific to New Orleans. Some believe the pecan praline is a Texan candy, whereas others assume it came from Savannah.

What to do if pralines don t set? ›

Sometimes if the weather isn't just right it takes a while. Next time dip out a couple and see if they look like they are going to harden. If not just be patient and let them cool in your pot a little longer. Don't leave them though just kinda keep stirring (to cool them down) and keep a close eye on them.

Why did my pralines come out grainy? ›

Avoid The Humidity

Plan to make your pralines on a cool, dry day. If it's humid or rainy, as it was the first time I made pralines, the candy might end up with a more sugary, grainy texture. While delicious, my first batch never did fully harden.

Why is my praline bitter? ›

Just make sure you buy your nuts raw and not already roasted. The main reason for that is that we will cook the nuts in a pan for 10-15 min. If you do this with roasted nuts, they will end up being over-roasted and your praline will taste very bitter.

What is praline flavor made of? ›

There are two main types: French pralines, a firm combination of almonds and caramelized sugar. American pralines, a softer, creamier combination of syrup and pecans, hazelnuts or almonds with milk or cream, resembling fudge.

What nuts are generally used in praline? ›

The nuts most frequently used are hazelnuts and almonds. Depending on the recipe, we might prefer one over the other, bearing in mind that hazelnut contains about 60% fat and almond about 50%. Almond praliné is used to make, for example, pink almond tarts.

Is praline a nut or chocolate? ›

Praline, as we have explained above, commonly refers to a piece of chocolate filled with soft or liquid filling. Praliné, on the other hand, is a type of filling made of roasted and ground mixture of almonds and/or hazelnuts and sugar. It comes in the form of a paste and is usually sold in pails.

What is the flavor of praline? ›

The vanilla flavoring makes a big difference here — it distinguishes butter pecan as vanilla-forward, while pralines are more caramel sugar-forward.

References

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