Texas Pralines II

My husband loves loves pralines. He regularly made them in our early married life but has been out of the habit for many years.

His go-to candy cookbook is Farm Journal Homemade Candy cookbook, published in 1970. We have tried two recipes for pralines from that book, and I thought the Texas Pralines recipe was a bit too creamy when I made them in January, but he wanted to give it a try.

I'm sure New Orleans folks would take exception to the name "Texas Pralines", but the description on the recipe indicates a yield of 12 "big, Texas-style" pralines. My husband makes them smaller and gets about 18-24 pieces. He used heavy cream in place of the half-and-half but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.

And he truly is the Master of Pralines. These are buttery and creamy, but firmer than mine were - probably the best he has ever made!

Texas Pralines
from Farm Journal Homemade Candy Cookbook

3 cups brown sugar
1 cup half-and-half (we only had heavy cream)
3 tablespoons light or dark corn syrup (we used light)
1/3 cup salted butter (if you don't use salted butter, add a pinch of salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Combine sugar, half-and-half, corn syrup, and butter in heavy saucepan. Stir to combine; bring to boil over medium-high heat then reduce to medium-low, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Cook to soft ball stage - 238 degrees. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm - 110 degrees - without stirring.

Add vanilla and pecans; beat until mixture changes color and begins to thicken.

Quickly drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment paper. If mixture gets too thick, stir in a teaspoon or so of water until mixture is spreadable again. You can alternately pour into a buttered 9-inch baking pan and cut into pieces when cool.

Makes 12 large or 18-24 small pralines.

Farm Journal Texas Pralines

My husband and I have loved pralines since the early 1970s when he first made them for me, using a recipe called Praline Prize Winners from Farm Journal's Homemade Candy cookbook. We lived in northern Oklahoma at that time, and winter weekends would find me curled up under a blanket. My husband would sneak into the kitchen while I dozed, make pralines, then bring me one fresh and warm from the pan. Nothing said love to me quite like that warm sugary treat. One of my best memories!

Through the years I have tried to emulate those early year pralines, but mine are never as good as his. He likes his pralines with that sugar gritty graininess , and I prefer mine lightly crunchy but smooth. I tried Homesick Texan's recipe in this post from my old blog and it was good but didn't quite hit the spot.

This past weekend I was craving creamy pralines so I pulled out the old candy cookbook. I decided to make Texas Pralines, which differ from that original recipe by the addition of corn syrup and a slightly different technique. I added Mexican vanilla and sprinkled with a little sea salt, and while I loved the flavor of these they were actually too creamy! They were perfect around the edges, but inside was a bit like frosting. I managed to put away several of them, but next time I will return to husband's original recipe. And let him make them!

Texas Pralines
adapted from Farm Journal's Homemade Candy

3 cups light brown sugar
1 cup half and half
3 tablespoons light or dark corn syrup
1/3 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used Mexican vanilla)
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Kosher or sea salt

Combine sugar, half-and-half, corn syrup, and butter in 3 quart heavy saucepan. Stir to combine; bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Cook to soft ball stage (238 degrees) and remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm (110 degrees) without stirring. Add vanilla and pecans and beat until mixture changes color and begins to thicken.

Quickly spoon heaping teaspoons onto waxed paper or parchment paper, making circles 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Makes about 24 pralines.

My husband held this pan while I took photos with my smartphone, and his finger is featured in this photo.