Easy Pecan Pralines (No Candy Thermometer Required)
Delicious, Easy Southern Pecan Pralines are a delicious and creamy Southern candy that’s ready in about 30 minutes. Creamy & crunchy, they’re made with basic ingredients (butter, heavy cream, pecans and brown sugar!). No candy thermometer and no hassle! Make these pecan pralines today!
Author: 2026 Rose Bakes https://rosebakes.com/easy-pecan-pralines/
Servings 24 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup 235 ml brown sugar
- 1/3 cup 79 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cups 59 ml salted butter (half a stick)
- 1 teaspoon 5 ml pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup 235 ml powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- Place the brown sugar, whipping cream, & butter in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Start a timer and boil for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat.
- Immediately whisk in the powdered sugar, then gently stir in the pecans and vanilla extract.
- Working quickly, stir until smooth.
- Allow the mixture to thicken and cool slightly, but it only takes a minute.
- *You do not want the mixture to get too cool and begin to harden in the pot. If this happens, add a teaspoon of milk and stir until creamy, then begin dipping out.
- Drop heaping spoonfuls of the praline mixture onto paper and allow it to cool and set up for at least 30 minutes.
- You can speed this up by popping the sheet in the fridge if you’re impatient like me 😉
- Makes 24 pralines.
Notes
Variations:
*Chocolate Pecan Pralines. Dip the pecan pralines in melted chocolate (about halfway) for a chocolate pecan praline. These will be extra decadent and rich!
*Chocolate Praline: Just add cocoa in the sauce pan. …, depends on how dark of chocolate you want, start with a half a cup the first time and decided from there.
*Use dark brown sugar and cook it a bit over a minute to get the more caramel color and stronger flavor.
*Toasted Pecans. Use toasted pecans in the recipe to add more depth and nuttiness to the flavor the the pralines. Pro Tips and Notes…
Work quickly! As mentioned above, this is not a pecan candy recipe where you can drag your feet. If the mixture gets too cool and begins to set up in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, Then begin dipping it out.
Butter. You can use unsalted butter instead of salted butter if you prefer. If you choose to do this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to the recipe!
Pecans. I love pecan halves in these classic southern treats, but if you want, you can use chopped pecans. The texture will be a little different but the amazing flavor will still be there!
Don’t trash them! While this is by and far the easiest pralines recipe I’ve ever made, nothing is 100% foolproof. If your pralines don’t set up, or they get dry and crumbly, don’t toss them out! Eat them with a spoon, ball them up and dip in chocolate, or chop them up and use as a topping on cake or ice cream!
While I truly hope this recipe will be foolproof and become one of your favorite recipes, there’s always a chance it won’t. As with all candy making, pralines are finicky and temperamental. How to prevent pralines from getting grainy?
Well, that’s a million-dollar question. Pralines are grainy because the sugar doesn’t get hot enough to fully dissolve. You may think using a candy thermometer is the answer to this but even with all the recipes I’ve tried, that’s not always true. The good news is – if you end up with grainy pralines, you can break them up, put them back in the pot with a little cream or milk (a tablespoon or two), and heat them again. Maybe add 10-15 seconds to the boiling time to try and raise the temperature a little more. Pralines won’t harden up?
Similar to the answer above, it has something to do with not reaching the correct temperature. Or maybe it’s a rainy day. Or maybe the stars aren’t aligned for you. Just kidding… sometimes I have no idea why they won’t harden. But if your pralines are still gooey after 30-40 minutes, you may have to scrape them back into the pan and heat them again. Add a tablespoon of milk, melt the sugar, and as before, stir constantly while you bring them to a boil. When the mixture begins to thicken, begin dipping them out again and cross your fingers! Work quickly! As mentioned above, this is not a recipe where you can drag your feet. If the mixture gets too cool and begins to set up in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, Then begin dipping it out.
You can use unsalted butter instead of salted butter, if you prefer. If you choose to do this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to the recipe! Source: https://rosebakes.com/easy-pecan-pralines/
*Chocolate Pecan Pralines. Dip the pecan pralines in melted chocolate (about halfway) for a chocolate pecan praline. These will be extra decadent and rich!
*Chocolate Praline: Just add cocoa in the sauce pan. …, depends on how dark of chocolate you want, start with a half a cup the first time and decided from there.
*Use dark brown sugar and cook it a bit over a minute to get the more caramel color and stronger flavor.
*Toasted Pecans. Use toasted pecans in the recipe to add more depth and nuttiness to the flavor the the pralines. Pro Tips and Notes…
Work quickly! As mentioned above, this is not a pecan candy recipe where you can drag your feet. If the mixture gets too cool and begins to set up in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, Then begin dipping it out.
Butter. You can use unsalted butter instead of salted butter if you prefer. If you choose to do this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to the recipe!
Pecans. I love pecan halves in these classic southern treats, but if you want, you can use chopped pecans. The texture will be a little different but the amazing flavor will still be there!
Don’t trash them! While this is by and far the easiest pralines recipe I’ve ever made, nothing is 100% foolproof. If your pralines don’t set up, or they get dry and crumbly, don’t toss them out! Eat them with a spoon, ball them up and dip in chocolate, or chop them up and use as a topping on cake or ice cream!
While I truly hope this recipe will be foolproof and become one of your favorite recipes, there’s always a chance it won’t. As with all candy making, pralines are finicky and temperamental. How to prevent pralines from getting grainy?
Well, that’s a million-dollar question. Pralines are grainy because the sugar doesn’t get hot enough to fully dissolve. You may think using a candy thermometer is the answer to this but even with all the recipes I’ve tried, that’s not always true. The good news is – if you end up with grainy pralines, you can break them up, put them back in the pot with a little cream or milk (a tablespoon or two), and heat them again. Maybe add 10-15 seconds to the boiling time to try and raise the temperature a little more. Pralines won’t harden up?
Similar to the answer above, it has something to do with not reaching the correct temperature. Or maybe it’s a rainy day. Or maybe the stars aren’t aligned for you. Just kidding… sometimes I have no idea why they won’t harden. But if your pralines are still gooey after 30-40 minutes, you may have to scrape them back into the pan and heat them again. Add a tablespoon of milk, melt the sugar, and as before, stir constantly while you bring them to a boil. When the mixture begins to thicken, begin dipping them out again and cross your fingers! Work quickly! As mentioned above, this is not a recipe where you can drag your feet. If the mixture gets too cool and begins to set up in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of hot milk and stir until creamy, Then begin dipping it out.
You can use unsalted butter instead of salted butter, if you prefer. If you choose to do this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to the recipe! Source: https://rosebakes.com/easy-pecan-pralines/
