Johnny's Pralines

My parents went to cooking class once and learned how to make pralines.  Since then my dad makes  pralines every Christmas.   One year Keith got a lesson from my dad and now Keith also likes to make  pralines each Christmas.

Here are the boys helping us taste test them.

Johnny’s Pralines 

USE A CANDY THERMOMETER

Ingredients
1 ½ C sugar
6 TBSP butter (3/4 stick)
¾ C light brown sugar
1 ½ C pecans
½ C milk
1 Tsp vanilla


• Use stainless steel pot not aluminum.

• Combine all ingredients and bring to a “softball stage”* 238-240 degrees (about 3 min on med. heat after rolling boil)

• Remove from heat and stir constantly (A WOODEN SPOON)

• Stir until mixture thickens, becomes creamy and cloudy, and pecans stay suspended in mixture.

• Spoon out on buttered waxed paper (on newspaper), aluminum foil, or parchment paper.

• If starts hardening too fast to drop correctly. You should then stir in about 1 - 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin the mixture

Softball stage: drop mixture in glass of cold water, push to side forms softball- see a soft ball form when it hits the water. Replace water to try again.