On my mother’s side, pralines are the go-to dish for celebrations. Parties, graduations, and holidays are all accompanied by this sweet caramelized cookie. 

While pralines are a simple dish, that makes them all the better for it. Pralines are the perfect line between easy and difficult. The list of ingredients is simple, but the making of the treat requires near constant attention.

I can remember trying to peek over the stove when I was younger, trying to catch a glimpse at the melting sugar while avoiding my mother’s vigorous stirring. Occasionally, she would allow me to swipe a blob of sugar that had solidified on the side of the pot. 

My mother would walk me through the steps, balancing keeping a watchful eye on the pot and making sure I didn’t burn myself. 

Pralines are a common treat in New Orleans, where I moved from when I was little. I have faint memories of munching on these delicious treats and running around at the park. My mother has made pralines every Christmas since we moved, bringing a little bit of New Orleans with us. 

Pralines are sweet, not so sweet as to be sickening, but enough to stop you from eating more than five without getting sick. The pecans also help to even out the sweetness, adding a delightful crunch and a respite from the candy. 

Depending on whether you add more or less pecans, the pralines can taste very different. If you fill up the cup and ½ to the brim, you’ll probably get 3-4 pecans per cookie, leaving you with a crunchier, slightly less sweet, and somewhat rougher cookie. These cookies would be easier to eat more of but, depending on your taste, possibly less palatable. 

If you prefer a sweet cookie, I would recommend you go a little below the instructions, making them more candy than pecan. You would probably only have 1-2, maybe 3 pecans per cookie. These cookies will be harder to eat in one sitting, and smoother due to the lack of pecans. It all comes down to preference, and it takes a couple of tries to get it just the way you like it. 

Ingredients: 

• Cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar 
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup milk
• 1 ½ cup chopped pecans 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• Candy thermometer 
• Heavy saucepan (has to be heavy or it will burn) 

Instructions: 

1. Lay out the cooking sheet. 
2. Pour both sugars, butter, and milk into a heavy saucepan. 
3. Heat on medium stirring constantly until boiling, continue to cook, and stir until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Once it has reached optimal temperature, remove from heat, but continue to stir vigorously. 
5. Once it has cooled to 110 degrees or cooler, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and pecans. 
6. Continue stirring as the mixture thickens. 
7. Once thickened enough to nearly stay on the spoon, quickly ladle out onto parchment. 
8. Work quickly when ladling or the candy will harden in the pot. 
9. Leave sitting for 10-15 minutes to harden.