Delicious, Easy Southern Pecan Pralines are a delicious and creamy Southern candy thats ready in about 30 minutes. Creamy & crunchy, theyre made with basic ingredients (butter, heavy cream , pecans, and brown sugar !). No candy thermometer and no hassle!
Since I live in the deep South, next door to Louisiana, Ive been eating pecan pralines for as long as I can remember. As far as sweets go, theyre a staple around the holidays, and in New Orleans, theyre a staple year-round.
Every person you meet has an opinion on how pralines should taste and whether you should use chopped pecans or pecan halves and what kind of texture is perfect (most prefer them creamy!).
For years and years, Ive made pecan praline candy, but never Easy Pecan Pralines. You see – the pecan praline recipes I used in the past required candy thermometers or microwaving with just the right bowl and a wooden spoon. They were always finicky and didnt always turn out just right. And I thought that my way was the only way to make them.
However, last year, after my pralines recipe failed me again, I decided I had to find a more reliable recipe.
According to legend, pralines were brought to the United States (the South in particular) by French settlers in the seventeenth century.
Currently here in the Southern United States, the short answer is that pralines are a type of candy where nuts are covered in a cooked sugar mixture and it sets up to a soft candy.
More specifically, pralines have brown sugar (usually all brown or a mixture), nuts (most commonly pecans), cream or milk, and vanilla. The most popular pralines seem to be creamy, smooth, and melt-in-your-mouth soft. But some pralines are harder and more crunchy.
After my many failures, I started searching and trying and I finally landed on an easy praline recipe that works and never fails me!
From the first time I made this easy recipe, I had success. Ive made them many, many times since then and theyre always so good! By and far this is the best pecan pralines Ive ever made.
It probably had something to do with my whole family being there and I was running my mouth the entire time I was making them… Im sure I mismeasured something or didnt let them boil quite a full minute. I dont know – itll forever be a mystery.
Oh wait – but I should make it clear that the day wasnt a total loss. Every single crumb of the easy pralines was still eaten – we just used spoons to scoop them up!
You see… this big ole family of mine wouldnt let pralines go to waste – even if they were sticky!! Hahaha.,.. I love my family!
Anyway, I made candy/cookie trays this past Christmas season and in every tray, I included this sweet treat. I thought it was about time I shared the recipe for the best praline youll ever eat!
And if you love this classic southern dessert as much as we do, also try these perfect Praline Cookies. Theyre insanely easy and delicious!
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.
Pro Tips and Notes…
- Work quickly! As mentioned above, this is not a pecan candy recipe where you can drag your feet. If the mixture gets too cool and begins to set up in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, Then begin dipping it out.
- Butter. You can use unsalted butter instead of salted butter if you prefer. If you choose to do this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to the recipe!
- Pecans. I love pecan halves in these classic southern treats, but if you want, you can use chopped pecans. The texture will be a little different but the amazing flavor will still be there!
- Dont trash them! While this is by and far the easiest pralines recipe Ive ever made, nothing is 100% foolproof. If your pralines dont set up, or they get dry and crumbly, dont toss them out! Eat them with a spoon, ball them up and dip in chocolate, or chop them up and use as a topping on cake or ice cream!
While I truly hope this recipe will be foolproof and end up being one of your favorite recipes, theres always a chance it wont. As with all candy making, pralines are finicky and temperamental.
So maybe my best tip is… be patient and have extra ingredients on hand so youre prepared for a round two or three if your first try doesnt work out. However, in the FAQ below, I do give you tips for how to (hopefully) fix your first batch if it doesnt work out! The good news is – you can still be eating the (not-so-perfect) pralines while you work out the kinks.
How to make Pecan Pralines
- First, youll want to line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. You can click here to see my favorite baking sheets.
- Next, place the brown sugar, whipping cream, & butter in a medium saucepan. No need to melt the butter first – it will melt together with everything else!
- Okay… heres the important part! Youre going to bring the soft caramel mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- As soon as it starts to boil and bubbles appear, set a timer and boil for exactly 1 minute. Then remove it from the heat to stop the cooking process.
- Gently stir in the pecans and vanilla extract. Working quickly, stir until smooth. Be sure you stir to the bottom of the pan.
- Immediately whisk in the powdered sugar:
- Allow the candy mixture to thicken and cool slightly, but it only takes a minute to reach the right consistency. You do not want the mixture to get too cool and begin to harden in the pot. If this happens, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, then begin dipping out.
- Lastly, drop heaping spoonfuls of the praline mixture onto parchment paper on a flat surface and allow it to cool and set up for at least 30 minutes. You can speed this up by popping the sheet in the fridge if youre impatient like me
Then try your very best to not eat the whole platter pan of this sugary goodness in one sitting!
Chocolate Pecan Pralines. Dip the pecan pralines in chocolate (about halfway) for a chocolate pecan praline. These will be extra decadent and rich!
Toasted Pecans. Use toasted pecans in the recipe to add more depth and nuttiness to the flavor the the pralines.
how to shake back your pecan candy that did not set
FAQ
Why is my pralines not setting?
How do you soften hard pralines?
Can you overcook pralines?
How do you stop pralines from crystallizing?
What if pralines don’t harden?
If your pralines don’t harden, it is worth giving the mixture another boil and heavy stir. It may also be worth adding buttermilk in small amounts to increase the thickness. Praline mixture has too high of sugar content to become many other things apart from fudge.
Why are my pralines grainy?
There are several reasons why pralines may be grainy but the most likely is that you’ve either under cooked or overcooked the sugar. Pralines should be cooked barely to the soft ball stage (234 F on a candy thermometer – or use the cold water method if you’re comfortable with that).
Can you make pralines from sugar?
Besides, sugar is sugar, so if you’re going to make homemade candy, you may as well go all in. In the case of pralines, texture is a big part and while you can make the caramel from just white sugar, unless you’re greatly experienced at candy making, you can easily run into problems.
How do you soften pralines?
Since the problem is mostly that the sugar in the pralines gets hard and crystallized, you might try softening them the way you’d soften hard brown sugar. Place a terracotta sugar saver in the container or something else that’s slightly damp, like a few slices of apple or a slice of fresh bread. Readers, do you have any other ideas? Next question?