Old Fashioned Pecan Pralines
Looking for a perfect hostess gift? Would you like to make something special for family and friends but don’t want to spend hours fussing with ingredients? If so, create a batch of good old fashioned pecan pralines. Pecans are a favorite nut of people everywhere. Pralines are especially scrumtious when made with pecans and are considered to be a special treat for any occasion. They can be wrapped with cellophane and a ribbon for a nice hostess gift, packed in a tin and passed around at a family picnic or party or even tucked away and pulled out for a special end of the day treat for yourself.
Pralines are believed to have orginated during the 19th century in France by a sugar distributor named Praslin. In Europe pralines were made with either almonds or hazelnuts. French settlers brought the recipe for pralines with them to Louisiana. Pralines quickly became a favorite when pecans, which are abundant in the south, became the nut of choice for this easy to make confection. Pralines are considered a southern tradition and can be made with slight variations of ingredients including coconut, chocolate,cream, marshmallows, rum along with a host of other personal choices. Everyone will love this rich, chew, hand made candy. The following recipes, made with only a few ingredients, is a outrageously easy yet delicious and is made with America’s only native nut, the pecan.
Ingredients:
3 Cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup Water
2 Cups Pecan Halves
Directions:
Combine sugars and water in saucepan. Cook mixture until 238 degrees or soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add pecans to sugar mixture in saucepan. Return to stove and bring pecan mixture to boiling. Remove from heat and stir until mixture becomes slightly cloudy. (Please note mixture will be thin). Drop spoonfuls of pecan mixture onto wax paper and let cool.
Yield: 25 pralines