Cranberry Pralines
By
(c) 2013 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Cranberry Pralines are a rich brown sugar candy made with dried cranberries, cinnamon, and lots of toasted pecans. They have the slightly crumbly texture and melt-in-your-mouth quality of traditional pralines, but the addition of chewy, sweet-tart dried cranberries
gives them a fun autumn twist.
If you're a first-time praline maker, I recommend checking out this tutorial video showing how to make pralines. It can be difficult to judge when pralines are ready to be scooped, and seeing a visual example will help you to know when your candy is done being beaten and is ready to be scooped and formed.
Yield: About 24 Cranberry Pralines
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 oz (4 tbsp) butter, cubed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preparation:
1. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with
nonstick cooking spray.
nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium (2 quart) saucepan combine the cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and
salt, and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then insert a candy thermometer.
salt, and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then insert a candy thermometer.
3. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until the candy reaches 240 F on the thermometer.
4. Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat and drop the chunks
of butter on top, but do not stir. Allow the pan to sit for one minute.
of butter on top, but do not stir. Allow the pan to sit for one minute.
5. After a minute, add the vanilla extract, the cinnamon, the pecans, and the dried cranberries,
and begin to stir smoothly and constantly.
and begin to stir smoothly and constantly.
6. Continue to stir until the candy starts to hold its shape. Gradually, over the course of about
5 minutes, it will go from being a thin, shiny liquid to a thicker opaque mixture. The trick with pralines is to stop stirring before they are fully set, otherwise you won't be able to scoop them nicely. So look for the candy to feel thicker and lose its shine, but don't wait for it to be thick
like fudge.
5 minutes, it will go from being a thin, shiny liquid to a thicker opaque mixture. The trick with pralines is to stop stirring before they are fully set, otherwise you won't be able to scoop them nicely. So look for the candy to feel thicker and lose its shine, but don't wait for it to be thick
like fudge.
7. Once it is thick and opaque, use a small spoon to drop scoops of praline mixture onto the foil-lined pans. If your first spoonful is very thin and doesn't hold its shape, give the mixture a few
more stirs and try again. Scoop quickly, because sometimes the praline hardens in the pan
before all of the candies are scooped. If this happens, try adding a spoonful of very hot water
and stir it into the pralines to loosen the candy, then continue scooping.
more stirs and try again. Scoop quickly, because sometimes the praline hardens in the pan
before all of the candies are scooped. If this happens, try adding a spoonful of very hot water
and stir it into the pralines to loosen the candy, then continue scooping.
8. Allow the candy to fully set at room temperature, for about 30 minutes. Store Cranberry
Pralines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They will get more
crumbly as time goes on.
Pralines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They will get more
crumbly as time goes on.
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