Homemade Praline Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is praline sauce made of? ›

Steps to Make It

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir sauce until it is smooth and syrupy, about 5 minutes. If it seems lumpy at all, strain through a mesh sieve. Stir in vanilla extract and pecans.

For starters, caramel sauce is typically made with granulated sugar. Praline sauce, on the other hand, is made with brown sugar. Like caramel sauce, both can be made without the aid of a candy thermometer. You're simply looking for changes in either color (caramel sauce) or texture (this recipe).

praline, in French confectionery, a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling, analogous to marzipan; also, a sugar-coated almond or other nutmeat. In the cookery of the American South, the term denotes a candy of sugared pecan meats or coconut.

Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring ingredients to a boil. Remove thickened mixture from heat before adding (optional) vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool slightly before using. The result is an impossibly rich sauce that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

American praline: a creamy, fudge-like confection featuring a cluster of pecans coated with a caramelized mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream (or milk or evaporated milk) and butter. Though pralines are popular across the Southern U.S., they're most often recognized as a New Orleans specialty.

A praliné is a paste that is a mixture of nuts, chocolate and sugar. While in Belgium, a 'praline' is defined as a filled chocolate candy. Note that the term 'praline' is of Belgian origin.

Pralines (US: /ˈpreɪliːn/; New Orleans, Cajun, and UK: /ˈprɑːliːn/) are confections containing nuts – usually almonds, pecans and hazelnuts – and sugar. Cream is a common third ingredient.

Other terms for pralines include pecan pralines, pecan candy, plarines and pecan patties, to name a few. Modern day New Orleans pecan pralines are not very different than the ones made one hundred years ago.

Some dip their pralines in chocolate or sprinkles, but these additions are not traditional. These treats have a smooth caramel-like flavor, and with the satisfying crunch of pecan in the mix, plenty of fans are hooked on them.

Pralines are a major part of culinary New Orleans. Where they came from, and how they got here is another fascinating tale of the city. Let's begin with the no doubt apocryphal tale of the origin of the candy that became synonymous with the Crescent City.

Why do pralines turn white? ›

Pralines are a much-appreciated festive treat, but come to think of it, they're simply delicious at any time of the year. When your pralines turn white, you are seeing the recrystallization of sugar. And you are right that honey does technically slow down the rate at which crystals form in candy.

If you don't beat it long enough, then pralines won't set properly and will stay soft and sticky. Work quickly to drop heaping tablespoons of pecan praline mixture onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I find that it works best to use a cookie dough scoop.

The butter, sugar and syrup are melted together and should form a smooth sauce. When the sauce cools it should remain amalgamated. If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly, which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

What do pralines taste like? A traditional American praline is sweet, creamy and delicious. It has a rich caramel flavor, and the pecans add a touch of savory crunchiness. No wonder so many people cite it as their favorite candy.

Praliné is the result of a complex process: hazelnuts or almonds are roasted, before water and sugar are added. A kind of nougatine is created; it's then crushed and mixed to achieve a smooth, liquid texture. The chocolatier then adds cocoa butter to form the praliné needed to make the praliné chocolate.