new orleans pralines

Soft and chewy caramel-like candies made with brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and vanilla with the crunch of buttery pecans mixed in. These southern-style pecan pralines melt in your mouth and are surprisingly easy to make!

BEST Southern Pecan Pralines

sugar

dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar)

evaporated milk

unsalted butter

salt

vanilla extract

pecans

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Add the sugars, milk, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan and heat the mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. This will take some time but it's best not to rush this part or you could end up with candy that is too hard.

To check the mixture, carefully place a small amount of candy on a spoon, blow it until it is cool enough to handle, then rub the candy between your thumb and index finger. If you still feel the graininess of the sugar crystals, your candy is not quite ready.

Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans. Continue to stir the candy vigorously with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes until it thickens.

The candy should be thick but pourable and not runny at all. This is called the "softball stage". If you drop a hot spoonful of the candy into a glass of ice water, it should form a soft ball that can easily be flattened between your fingers.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the pecan praline candy onto your prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. You want to work quickly so the candy does not firm up too much. If it becomes too firm to work with, stir in a small amount of hot water to get it back to the right consistency.

Allow the candies to set for at least an hour or overnight and enjoy!

These decadent pecan pralines are perfect for gifting. Easy to make in the microwave; easy clean up and easy to eat. These sugary, nutty, pralines are my husband's favorite treat!

Microwave Pecan Pralines Recipe

½ cups sugar

½ cups light brown sugar

heavy cream

⅓ cup milk

⅓ cup butter

¾ teaspoon salt

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients except the pecans and vanilla extract in a 4-quart glass bowl. Heat in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes. Using oven mitts or potholders, carefully transfer the bowl to a countertop and stir with a heat-resistant spatula. Return to microwave and heat for 5 more minutes.

Stir in the pecans and heat for another 5 minutes. Stir and check the temperature with a digital or candy thermometer. If it reads 240 degrees, proceed to Step 4. (At high altitude, adjust accordingly. In Denver, this would be 230 degrees.) If not, continue heating on high power, stirring and checking the temperature every minute until it does.

Remove from oven and let the mix sit undisturbed. After 20 minutes, add the vanilla extract and stir vigorously until it becomes cloudy and creamy. Using 2 spoons, scoop and shape into 2-inch-diameter mounds on a baking sheet lined with foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat.

If the mix becomes too hard to shape, reheat for 15 seconds. Let the pralines rest for 30 minutes. Keep stored in an airtight container.

No one other than me would eat these, but that's a sacrifice I'd be willing to endure! YUM!

Having a hard time not drooling on our keyboard. The hard part is just being able to stop eating them, especially if one breaks. You know you have to keep everything tidy. Wink wink.

A friend of ours in New Orleans sends us a box of pralines every year for the holidays.  If they didn't, I'd be making these tomorrow.  I love pralines and these look so easy comparatively.

Delicious, Easy Southern Pecan Pralines are a delicious and creamy Southern candy that's ready in about 30 minutes. Creamy &amp; crunchy, they're made with basic ingredients (butter, heavy cream, pecans and brown sugar!). No candy thermometer and no hassle!  Make these pecan pralines today!

Easy Pecan Pralines

(235 ml) brown sugar

(79 ml) heavy whipping cream

(59 ml) salted butter (half a stick)

(5 ml) pure vanilla extract

(235 ml) powdered sugar

pecan halves

Line a large cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

Place the brown sugar, whipping cream, &amp; butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Start a timer and boil for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat. Immediately whisk in the powdered sugar, then gently stir in the pecans and vanilla extract. Working quickly, stir until smooth.

Allow the mixture to thicken and cool slightly, but it only takes a minute. You do not want the mixture to get too cool and begin to harden in the pot. If this happens, add a teaspoon of milk and stir until creamy, then begin dipping out.

Drop heaping spoonfuls of the praline mixture onto paper 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 you're impatient like me 😉

These melt in your mouth... mine turned out darker than yours but the texture these have, is what I have been searching for the past year or so. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I have saved it and it will be part of my Christmas baking this year!

Rose, could you please figure out how to make chocolate Pralines for us? Up here in Minnesota there was a store selling basically a chocolate praline candy but it was mixed with nuts and stringy coconut and the store burned down and I have never had it since BUT we went to New Orleans and had some and they were the same candy minus the nuts and coconut, I would like make your easy pralines with the added chocolate, coconut that comes in longer string pieces (do you know what that would be) and add tiny bits of nuts!! I miss that, Thank you Rose! Hannah

Hi Rose,
Thank you so much for getting back to me on this. Chocolate pralines are well known in New Orleans, One place that is famous for them is Aunt Sally's. They are also sold on Amazon and you can find them on google. I love Pralines but amazingly the chocolate pralines are even better than the pecan pralines. I think it will shock you how delicious they are! Please try some! You won't believe how delicious they are! I am a caramel/ praline type person and NOT a chocolate person at all and I LOVE chocolate pralines. They are unbelievable! REALLY.
Hannah

Oh my waistline! I just made these and they are wonderful! I had never made pralines before but found this recipe and thought I'd give it a shot. So glad I did. The only thing I had a problem with was the powdered sugar didn't really melt in but who cares? So good! Thank you for putting this recipe out there.

Made these quick pralines yesterday here in Austin, Texas - - they are fab! Used buttermilk instead of cream for a tangy taste. Delicious! Thank you for this great (and quick!!!) recipe. 

I used half and half and it worked beautifully! Great recipe!

Because I am lactose intolerant I tried this recipe using lactose free evaporated milk...oh my! It was wonderful!! I also use half brown sugar and half white sugar and add a pinch of baking soda. They turn out so smooth and creamy!! Thanks for this recipe Rose!

Okay, so I realized after getting the stuff on the stove that I didn't have any powdered sugar. Panic mode ensued! I did find some white chocolate chips, so I substituted a cup of those for the powdered sugar and kept my fingers crossed. The pralines turned out wonderful!

These look yummy..can you double the recipe? I too luv making Christmas treats for family and friends. These will be a lovely addition.  Thanks Marie from Canada

I love this recipe. It turns out great. I have used it the last few years and it works for me over and over. So glad I found it. Thanks for sharing it.

I made it today and they turned out great.

Made these today - super easy! A little sweet for me, but still delicious. Any tips for a not-so-sweet version? I’m sensitive to overly sweet things, but I’m sure they’ll be a hit with those I’m serving them to! Just wondering what I could do next time to tone down the sweetness.

Ms.Rose please forgive me for
Tweaking your wonderful recipe, but wife loves chocolate,
So I added 2 tbl.spoons of
usweetend chocolate by Hershey chocolate pecan pralines, she thinks I'm a genius .

I made these in 2016 for Christmas but forgot about them this last Christmas. Ugh! I have a strong urge for them RIGHT NOW but I don't have any butter. Could it be done with margarine?

My wonderful m-i-l in Baton Rouge used to make a ton of these at holidays and we would travel there from wherever we were living at the time.  She was a wonderful cook and I couldn't stop eating them.  I used her recipe and NEVER got them to set; always sticky and runny.  I can't wait to try this recipe and think about how much I miss her.  Thanks for the recipe, Rose!!!

I made these today. Used buttermilk and also sifted the powered sugar. Turned out great. Thanks so much.

This recipe was so easy and quick! It actually started setting while I was adding pecans, so mine is more ball shaped, than clumps like yours but they are beyond yummy! I added salt to take the edge off the sweetness and just a bit of grated black peppercorns which gave it a lovely spiced background.
Thanks for the recipe!

So easy! Thanks! Now if I can only get them to everyone without eating too many! I did have to make some without nuts for my aunt but I used molds and they came out great!

Just tried as toppers for my pecan praline cupcakes! They were awesome!!! I HATE making candy though using thermometers, tryin to get the temperature perfect... these came out AMAZING! So happy I found this!!!

Omg1 The best and easiest I have ever made! Love them.

Made these justnow after working all day, in a busy before Christmas grocery store. They are just as delicious as easy to make. Thank you!

Lovely recipe! I only had whole milk on hand and subbed it for heavy cream, I halved the recipe just to be sure It would work for me with. This recipe was absolutely delicious!!

My husband and I had some pralines from a little shop in Natchitoches, LA last year when we were on vacation. They were amazing! I came across this recipe and gave it a shot and I really think these are just as amazing! Plus they’re so easy to make! I did try a few other recipes, both required the dreaded candy thermometer and both were a complete fail! This recipe is the only one I will ever use. My search is over! :) Thank you!

Incredible!  I made this after a fail with a candy thermometer recipe.  I had given up hope (so much hope that I even froze the rest of the heaving whipping cream.)  When I stumbled upon this recipe, I defrosted the heavy whipping cream and decided to make one last attempt!  Not only did they set up and turn out perfectly, they tasted just like the pralines I remember eating from River Street Sweets in Savannah, GA! Thank YOU for sharing this recipe!  It's in my recipe box as my number one praline recipe!!

These are the best pralines !! I’ve been making them using this recipe (exact) for the last 2 years, so very grateful for the recipe!!

absolutely amazing!! i did add more powdered sugar/brown sugar than was called for, but it was fine, these turned out perfectly, and i will be using this recipe on a regular basis, as i have only successfully made "real" pralines once in my life!

only took all dang day to get to the recipe after reading of all that stupid nonsense blabbering life story that NO ONE cares about

I love the pralines, the ease of having all ingredients and then mixing it step by step. They turned out great and I made 2 batches. I will never use another Praline recipe. Also shared recipe with a few friends and relatives. I am also a fan of No Fail Divinity.

Congratulations, your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday, 619 this week. Thanks so much for sharing with us and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Miz Helen

Thanks for giving us such an easy recipe to follow. I have never found success boiling sugar using the candy thermometer either. I must say they did set up well, soft and tasty brown-sugar-flavored as promised. But it almost reminds me of frosting rather than a more dense praline. That being said I will certainly make these again, because who would ever turn one of these down? They were yummy and hit the spot. I may try boiling a tad longer to see if it can achieve a little more dense texture, maybe leaving out 1/4 powdered sugar. Thanks for your great posts. Your kids are blessed to have you! Your character shines in your posts.

Love these no bake treats.  Perfect for a quick something sweet to enjoy. Thank you for sharing your links with us at #274 SSPS Linky. See you again next week.

These pralines came out perfectly! So delicious and easy. This is a recipe I will use for years.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/pMNsBvl7.mp4

Top 3 new orleans pralines recipes from across the web

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BEST Southern Pecan Pralines

Microwave Pecan Pralines Recipe

Easy Pecan Pralines

Top 3 new orleans pralines recipes from across the web

The most viewed new orleans pralines recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

BEST Southern Pecan Pralines

Microwave Pecan Pralines Recipe

Easy Pecan Pralines

The most viewed new orleans pralines recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine