South Louisiana Pralines

Growing up, I was not a fan of pecans. I think it was the strange astringent sensation you get in your mouth from eating one too many under ripe pecans. Or maybe it was that pecan pie was too sweet.

At any rate, I revisited pecan desserts I few years ago and found that I liked them. In particular, I loved the pralines made at the candy stores in Jefferson, Texas. They often serve two styles of pralines: chewy, carmel-ly Texas style and soft, crumbly Louisiana style.

Recently, I got a hankering for some pralines. I found this interesting recipe in an old cookbook for a Louisiana style praline. It calls for caramelizing sugar at the beginning, which I haven’t seen in most recipes.

This is lightly adapted from Mrs. Myrtle Simms Fun Cooking Guide.

South Louisiana Pralines

2 cups of sugar

2/3 cup of evaporated milk

1 tablespoon of white Karo syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups of toasted pecans.

In a heavy bottom pot, place ¼ cup of sugar. On medium to high heat, let the sugar melt until it turns a deep, golden brown.

Add remaining sugar, butter, syrup, and salt. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches “soft ball stage” or registers 236 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.

Add vanilla and pecans. Stir until smooth.

Remove pot from heat. Working quickly, drop the mixture by the tablespoon onto wax paper or a greased surface.

Makes a small batch of 12 pralines.