Old-Fashioned Southern Pralines

If you’ve ever stopped in a Southern candy shop and gotten a little paper bag of pralines, you know how unforgettable they are. Sweet, buttery, and full of toasted pecans. This classic recipes gives you all the flavor without the road trip. It’s the perfect balance of creamy and crumbly. Of course, these are lovely in a mixed cookie and candy box at Christmas, but they’re one of the few homemade candies I also make for our family to have on hand. I love them.

The best part about pralines? You can make them days in advance. They keep beautifully at room temperature, which makes them perfect for party trays, teacher gifts, or a little afternoon treat tucked in the pantry.

What You’ll Need

For this and all “real” candy recipes you’ll need a heavy-bottom saucepan. Not a thin aluminum cheap saucepan, or the sugar will burn before it cooks. Copper is ideal but quite expensive. A nice quality stainless steel saucepan will work fine. You’ll also want a candy thermometer. They are inexpensive and open up a whole new world of candy making for you!

Doubling pralines sounds simple, but it’s trickier than it looks. The mixture heats unevenly in large batches, so it’s much safer to make two single batches back-to-back for perfect texture. If you do attempt to double it, use a big heavy pot (at least 6 quarts), watch the temperature closely, and have extra pans lined and ready since the candy sets fast once it’s ready to scoop

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk!)
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecan halves (bags of pecan halves always have little bits that are chopped, use those too!)

Instructions

This is not a hard recipe. Just watch your thermometer and don’t, under any circumstances, turn your back on the stove!

Line your pan

Before you even turn on the stove, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Pralines set fast, so having this ready is key. A lightly buttered surface works too, but parchment is easiest for cleanup. Keep a spoon or small scoop nearby for portioning later. You won’t have time to hunt for one once the candy is ready.

Combine sugars and milk, cook to thread stage

Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and evaporated milk to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir them together before turning on the heat so the sugars start dissolving evenly.

Once the pan is on medium heat, stir constantly to prevent hot spots and burning. This part takes a little patience. It’ll feel slow at first, but don’t wander off. When it’s ready, it’s ready.

Keep stirring until the mixture reaches about 228°F. A candy thermometer is your friend here. If you don’t have one, you can test it by dropping a bit into cold water. It should form thin threads that break easily when pulled. Don’t rush the heat; steady, even cooking gives you that smooth, creamy texture.

Add butter and pecans, cook to soft ball stage

Once you hit 228°F, stir in the butter and pecans. The butter adds richness while the pecans start to toast in the syrup. Keep stirring as it cooks to 236°F (the soft-ball stage).

This part can move fast, so keep your thermometer handy and your eyes on the pot.

At 236°F, the syrup will form a soft ball in cold water that flattens when pressed. If you go much higher, the candy will turn crumbly instead of creamy.

As soon as you hit that point, take the pan off the heat.

Add vanilla and stir to thicken

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Keep stirring until the candy starts to lose its glossy shine and turn slightly grainy. This is your cue that it’s thickening and ready to scoop.

Stir too long, and it’ll set right in the pan, so move quickly once it looks matte instead of shiny.

Scoop and cool

Drop spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet, working fast before the mixture hardens. A small cookie scoop makes this easy and keeps them uniform, but a tablespoon works fine too.

Let them cool completely at room temperature until firm and dry to the touch.

Storage Instructions

Pralines keep well at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Store them in an airtight container with parchment between the layers to keep them from sticking together. They don’t need to be refrigerated—cool, dry air is best.

More Homemade Candies

During the week before Christmas, it’s crazy candy season around here. We match multiple batches of each of these, then package them into mixed boxes for teachers, delivery people, and friends.

• Divinity candy
• Old-fashioned fudge
• Stovetop caramels
• Classic peanut brittle

Troubleshooting

Printable Recipe