Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Pecan Praline Recipe

Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Pecan Praline Recipe. This is really an easy recipe. I can make it with my eyes closed.

Every Southerner will have a praline recipe and a mint julep recipe that they make on a regular basis. This is my recipe for Southern Pecan Pralines.  Please enjoy.

Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Pecan Praline Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1 big pinch of sea salt to bring out the sweetness
4T. butter
2T. vanilla (variations see below)
1 – 2 cups pecan halves (2 cups makes a real chunky praline…I prefer 1 1/2)

DIRECTIONS for Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Pecan Praline Recipe

* Cook sugars and milk on medium high to soft~ball stage, stirring constantly
* When the temperature gets near soft ball stage (238-241 degrees) or when it gets big bubbles, add the remaining ingredients.
* Cook back up to soft ball stage; “Soft Ball” stage is important, go a degree or two over.
* Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until thick.

* Spoon out quickly onto parchment or a cooling marble that you have slightly buttered for non-sticking.
* When cool, remove from paper or marble and store in airtight container.

Cooking Note: Beating until thick is crucial, if it isn’t thick enough, the mixture will run all over and may not harden and stay sticky.

However, if you beat it to long, it will thicken to the point where you can’t spoon it out smoothly.

If your pralines do not harden after 5 or 10 minutes, don’t panic, scrape sticky pralines back in your pot. Cook again to the soft ball stage, beat and spoon out again…Or save to pour over ice cream and start all over again.

This recipe is great to pour over the sides of you Cheese Cake. I freeze the cheese cake to make sure that the praline mixture sets quickly. This makes a beautiful and delicious Pecan Praline Cheese Cake. Make sure that you use a sharp knife to cut through the pecans other wise it will tear your cake.

Variations:
Coffee Flavored: Add 2T. instant espresso coffee into mixture when adding the pecans.
Eggnog Flavored: Add 1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg when adding the pecans.
Amaretto Flavor: Add 2T of Amaretto instead of vanilla. Add at the very last second, since it has alcohol and it will not catch fire or dissipate.
Maple Flavored: Add 2T of maple extract not vanilla
Chocolate drizzled: Take your favorite semisweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate bar and melt drizzle over the tops of your pralines. This makes them totally wonderful and you get your antioxidants!

Servings: Makes 12 to 15 pralines using a #30 ice cream scoop.

They will harden and that is all you will need to do, except ration your self from eating them all.

Save in an air tight container in your refrigerator. They will last up to two weeks, but they NEVER do with me.

We hope that you enjoyed “Baby Boomer Queen’s Southern Pecan Praline Recipe.” There are more delicious recipes in BBAC’s Recipe Section.

Bon Appetit
~The Baby Boomer Queen~