Halloween came and went without warning. One moment it was sunny and hot, the next the leaves were off the trees and it was cold outside. And now, you know what’s coming. As much as you might try to prepare for it, time will fly by and it will be here staring you in the eye, taunting you for being unprepared. Thanksgiving and Christmas, they’re coming whether we’re ready or not. We can’t stop them.
Menu planning, present buying, card writing, house decorating, it’s a crazy time of year. Crazy. And as well as we plan and prepare, it’s still overwhelming, with not enough time for everything to be done. As if there wasn’t enough to be accomplished in the day, now about a million different things are added to the list. On top of that, you just know that blizzard is going to strike when you think you have everything under control and are about to get all the Christmas shopping done in one day.
This doesn’t mean the holidays are bad. In fact, I love the holidays. They’re just about the only thing that gets me through winter. I love spending time with the people I love, seeing the house transformed into a Christmas wonderland, baking and cooking, buying (and yes, I’ll admit receiving is pretty awesome too) presents. Even when it’s icy cold outside, there’s a warmth that comes with the holidays. An almost unexplainable warmth.
When your pen runs out of ink in the middle of writing a card and the Christmas tree won’t stand up straight, take a deep breath. Try to enjoy the holidays and all the wonderful things about them, forgetting about the traffic jam that seems to fill a full square mile around every Costco and shopping mall, because lurking just under the surface of a few annoying things is pure holiday magic.
Food is definitely a huge part of the holidays, and I want you to consider my blog your source for fabulous holiday recipes. Most of them will be sweet, but I’ll try to work in a few savory ones for you. When it comes to dessert though, there will be plenty of recipes here that will make you look like Martha Stewart to all your family and friends.
Pecan Pralines are a great way to ease in to holiday baking. These are super easy to make and can be made up to a week ahead of time. That’s music to the ears of anyone stressing about the holidays. These little nuggets of sweet nutty goodness would make a great gift or addition to a party spread. Okay, so you need a candy thermometer, but it’s not a big deal. A few minutes of boiling sugar and stirring result in sugary sweet, almost maple tasting candy filled with crunchy pecans. The flavors and textures are a perfect pair. If you’re already feeling the stress of the holidays, make a batch of these and save them all for yourself. We’ll call it recipe testing.
Don’t forget to enter the Chinet Bakeware giveaway. Those pans would really help make the holidays easier!
PrintPecan Pralines
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups pecans
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a medium saucepan, combine sugars, cream, butter, water, and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter is melted, the mixture is homogenous, and the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the pecans and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
- Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F on the thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir vigorously and constantly for several minutes until the mixture thickens and cools slightly. I stirred for about 5 minutes, but use your judgment or drop a test praline on a baking sheet.
- Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Cool completely on pan. When cooled, gently remove them from the parchment and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They are delicate, so handle them gently at all steps in the storage process. I do not recommend freezing these.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Woohoo Christmas is coming!
★★★★★
For sure. Christmas always gets me excited!
I used to make these years ago but misplaced the recipe. Thank you for sharing yours.
Thanks for visiting, Karen! This is a very traditional recipe and really reminds me of the holidays. I hope you’ll give them a try 🙂
These look amazing – I can’t wait to try to make them! I love pralines 🙂
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If you love pralines, I know you’ll really enjoy these, Jessica! I hope you give them a try.
Those are so delicious, mmm! Another gift idea, thanks! 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Marina! These would for sure make a wonderful gift 🙂
Sage advice. I think we all let the holidays stress us out too much. We should just enjoy and not put so much pressure on ourselves. And a little something sweet like these pralines always helps. 😉
Thanks, Carolyn! The holidays should just be fun. I agree that sweet treats always help 🙂
These look delicious, I love, love, LOVE pralines! thanks for getting me into the holiday spirit!
I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving and you know Christmas won’t be far behind, so it’s time to embrace the holidays. I also really like pralines and was glad to finally make them!
Great recipe!
Thanks!
I’ve always wanted to make pralines! They look delicious!
Pralines were on my to-bake list for a long time. You should definitely give them a try 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Ari!
I’ve never had pecan pralines. But I love pecans and these pralines sound delicious. I’m really looking forward to your holiday recipes!
I’m hoping to post tons of holiday recipes so stay tuned! I think you’d really enjoy these, Ruby, since you love pecans. They are the star of this recipe.
MMMMMM – these look mighty good!
Thanks, Heidi, and thanks for visiting! They are very tasty.
I absolutely love pecan pralines so much. I tried making them once and it was a disaster ;D but it’s time I try again soon. Glad to meet you through Patty’s Food blog, looks like some really nice recipes here.
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Thanks for visiting, Suzanne! You should try making the pralines again. When I really want to make a recipe, I don’t give up on it until it comes out, and most of the time the results are totally worth it.