Pecan Pralines

These are the creamy New Orleans-style pralines, cooked to the soft-ball stage and beaten until they turn from glossy to matte before you drop them. A candy thermometer earns its keep here since the window between fudgy and grainy is narrow.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them near the stove before you start cooking.
2. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, heavy cream, butter, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
4. Clip on a candy thermometer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 236 degrees F, the soft-ball stage. This takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat immediately and stir in the pecans and vanilla.
6. Let the mixture cool undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon until it thickens and loses its shine, about 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Working quickly, drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment, spacing them apart.
8. Let the pralines set at room temperature until firm, about 20 minutes, then peel them off the parchment.

Tips

• Pick a dry day. Humidity keeps pralines from setting and leaves them sticky.
• Stop stirring and drop the moment the candy turns matte and starts to hold its shape. Beat too long and the batch seizes in the pan.