I'm sharing my family's favorite holiday candy, Noelie's Pecan Pralines, hoping it'll become yours, too! This creamy melt-in-your-mouth homemade candy is made from my Mawmaw Noelie's recipe. It's a classic Southern Louisiana favorite that's easy to prepare, especially in cold, dry weather.
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"Uh-huh, tell me what the weather is like," is what Mama asked over the phone when I told her I was making pralines for a Christmas party that night.
At first, I thought she was changing the subject rather quickly, but when I told her it was cold and humid, I remembered how the weather conditions can determine the success of the candy.
Since the humidity was high that day, she told me I needed to let the candy cook past the soft ball stage a little longer. The first batch of pralines was a little dry and set up rather quickly. The second batch was better, but the third was melt-in-your-mouth good! That made me a believer that the weather does make a difference.
Do you use half and half for Pecan Pralines?
No, because Noelie's recipe calls for canned milk. This makes keeping the ingredients in my pantry ready for a batch at any time.
The Sweet Tradition of Pecan Pralines
Noelie Trahan was my mama's mama. She made the best pecan pralines. They became a tradition in our southern Louisiana home at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. She taught my momma how to make pralines, and my momma taught me.
Mawmaw had a large pecan orchard where we helped her pick pecans every fall. I recall large flour sacks filled with pecans covering the washhouse floor for drying. The bags would be turned several times until the nuts were dry enough to easily separate from the shell when peeled.
There was always a plentiful harvest of pecans for baking and making pralines. I can't remember a holiday without those sweet treats. Pecan p
Reaching The Soft-Ball Stage
I don't always use a candy thermometer. In this case, I take a cup of cold water and spoon a little candy into the cup to test and see what stage the pralines have cooked.
I use my fingers to gather the candy together in the cold water. It's ready to take off the heat when it forms into a ball. You can skip this process and use a candy thermometer to see when the pralines reach the softball stage. That temperature is between 235 and 245 degrees Fahrenheit or 112 degrees Celsius.
After the candy gets to the right temperature, it's time to take it off of the heat, add vanilla and butter, and start stirring. Then add the pecans and stir some more until it begins to thicken.
The last step is spooning the pralines onto a sheet of wax paper on your countertop to allow them to set until they harden and cool completely.
I treasure my Mawmaw Noelie's Pecan Praline recipe. It's a gift from her to our family that I continue to use, making happy memories with friends and family in the kitchen.
I hope you make gifts of time spent in the kitchen with your loved ones this Christmas and throughout the year, even if it's just sharing a cup of hot cocoa and conversation.
More Cajun Dishes From Louisiana Woman
- Chicken Gumbo, Simply Classic Cajun
- Couche Couche, A Cajun Delicacy
- Croquesignoles or French Donuts
- Louisiana Rice Dressing
- Crawfish Etouffee, To Etouffee Is To Smother
Recipe
Noelie's Pecan Pralines
My Mawmaw's recipe for this classic Cajun candy of nutty creaminess is easy to make and so delicious, especially for the holidays.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup canned evaporated milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups pecans halves
Instructions
- Put sugar, baking soda, salt, and milk in a heavy saucepan.
- Stir ingredients together and cook over medium to medium-low heat with a constant stir.
- Cook until the candy darkens and reaches the soft-ball stage, between 235° and 245° F on the candy thermometer.
- Take the pot off the heat and add the butter and vanilla to the pralines.
- Beat by hand with a spoon for a few minutes, then add pecans continuing to beat until it feels a bit firmer.
- Drop pralines onto waxed paper using a tablespoon and let set until they harden and cool completely.
Equipment
Notes
- Instead of using a candy thermometer, you can test to see if the pralines have reached the soft-ball stage by placing a few drops of the mixture into an ice-cold cup of water. Use your fingers to form the praline mixture into a ball. If it has reached the appropriate stage, it will develop into a ball but will turn flat after it is taken out of the cold water.
- Cold, dry weather will help yield the best results for pralines. If the weather is humid, you may need to cook the pralines a little longer.
- Category: Sweets, desserts
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Cajun
Keywords: Pecan Pralines
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Have a nice day!
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” - Charles Dickens
