Maple Pralines (without white sugar)

If you are in Louisiana, you call these “praw-leens.” I’m from Virginia with parents from Georgia and Alabama and I say “pray-leens,” which makes my husband wince. Originally from France and made with almonds, these addictive treats are ubiquitous in the French Quarter. There, they most certainly say “praw-leens.”

I’m on a bit of a no refined white sugar kick. That certainly doesn’t mean that I’m not eating anything sweet! I’ve been substituting maple syrup and honey whenever I can. Using maple syrup is not a free license to scarf the whole batch. Each candy contains about 65 calories, so don’t go overboard like I did. I made a batch to send to my sister-in-law for her birthday. After I got through my “quality control” tasting, I realized there wasn’t much left! Oops.

The New Orleans style pralines are made with pecans, but substitute other nuts if you like. You’ll need a candy thermometer for this. You can pick up one at a kitchen supply store or, if your grocery store has a kitchen tool section, you can often find them there. I saw one the other day for $7.

Click here for a maple turtle recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup of pecans, chopped
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Method

• Combine the cream, butter and maple syrup in the saucepan. Stir until well mixed.
• Cook over medium heat. You may gently swish sauce, but don’t stir. Heat until temperature reaches 240º F, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.
• Remove saucepan from the heat and let the mixture stand for a couple of minutes. Stir in pecans.
• Drop small spoonfuls of mixture onto parchment. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Cool. Eat, yum!

Makes 18.