A trip to NOLA isn't complete without a visit to Southern Candymakers on Decatur St. We had our first, right off the stove pralines from them in 2009 and have always made it a stop when in the city.
This praline recipe is from The Kitchn and helped us satisfy cravings when not in the Big Easy. Since this is our first foray into candy making, we followed it closely, but included some tips for first timers below.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup whole milk (but it seems 2% is fine)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
Absolutely essential equipment:
- Candy thermometer, because 220°F looks like 240°F and you don't want underdone candy
- Silicon spatula for stirring
- Deep pot for the mixture
- Parchment paper, foil or a silicon mat to cool the pralines
Place a long sheet of parchment paper where you want the pralines to set. A silicon mat works too. Have a ladle in the same area, and an extra spoon in case you need to scrape the candy from the ladle.
You'll need a fairly deep pot for the candy and a silicon spatula to stir. The candy stuck too much to wooden spoons!
Combine all the ingredients in the pot and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to ensure the butter melts. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly. You'll notice the mixture become cloudy and it will start to thicken. After about 5 minutes, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. The candy will be ready at 240°F.
When the mixture reaches 240, take it off the heat, but keep stirring. Using your ladle, drop small to medium spoonfuls of the candy on the parchment. Cool the pralines for at least 10 minutes then enjoy! These will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container, but are the most delicious as soon as they cool!
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