Praline Pecans
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 250
Ingredients
24 cups pecan halves (I used part halves, part large pieces)16 cups walnut halves16 cups Sucanat3 cans (14oz each) organic coconut milk (unshaken)1 jar (2 cups) e.v.coconut oil2 cups bourbon (We always use Wild Turkey because this was originally a Thanksgiving recipe)2-3 T vanilla1 T salt
1. Lightly toast the nuts at about 275 (on trays) until heated through and fragrant. Mix and set aside, evenly divided in two large bowls. (The nuts taste better toasted. Plus sugar collects moisture, so it seems wise to remove surplus moisture from the whole process.)
2. Put the Sucanat in a large pan with a heavy bottom. Add salt. Scoop out the coconut oil and add.
3. Open the cans of coconut cream and add only the cream tops. Depending on the type you bought or how much you agitated them, the cream will be either very thick (like shortening) or more like molasses. But don't bother with the water at the bottom.
4. Fill the empty jar of coconut oil to about 3/4 with bourbon and add to the sugar.
5. Heat and stir at medium until all crystals melt, then let it boil.
6. Watch, wait, and enjoy the smell. Stir occasionally. It's okay to go do other things, but turn the heat down first if you're going to the basement. (Depending on how small your pan is, you may need to keep a close eye on it. Sucanat likes to boil up on occasion. It seems to go through stages. If you're working with a cook, you can debate whether it's better to add the oil in separately after the sugar crystals have melted. If you're at home you could try sipping the extra bourbon.) Line some large trays with parchment paper to cool the nuts on later.
7. Boil to a hard-ish soft ball stage. The sugar will darken to a molasses color and thicken. You can test by dripping some into cold water. If you can remove a ball from the water and roll it around between your thumb and fingers without too much give, that's ideal. If using a candy thermometer, I would guess it's about 239 or 240. I tend to like it harder than typical praline because we're essentially candying the nuts and want the flavor to stick to them within the demanding environment of a bowla granola. Plus we're adding more bourbon at the end which could soften it. Turn off the burner.
8. Add 2-3 T of vanilla and the remaining 1/4 cup bourbon. Stir--then let it sit for about ten minutes. (And take care whenever adding alcohol to hot sugar. Things can get a little crazy.) Some people add the nuts at this stage. I prefer to let the sugar cool slightly first so that the nuts incur minimal stirring damage.
9. Start stirring vigorously--for a minute or so--then add half the sugar to half the nuts. Just estimate. If you have help, you can add the other half to the other bowl of nuts and do this in tandem. Otherwise work in stages. Vigorously stir until the nuts/sugar combo starts to lighten in color and get a bit grainy.
10. Quickly dump the nuts out on the lined trays. If you do it right they will separate easily. Cool.
Serving Size: 1/4 c.
Number of Servings: 250
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user EMORIE.
2. Put the Sucanat in a large pan with a heavy bottom. Add salt. Scoop out the coconut oil and add.
3. Open the cans of coconut cream and add only the cream tops. Depending on the type you bought or how much you agitated them, the cream will be either very thick (like shortening) or more like molasses. But don't bother with the water at the bottom.
4. Fill the empty jar of coconut oil to about 3/4 with bourbon and add to the sugar.
5. Heat and stir at medium until all crystals melt, then let it boil.
6. Watch, wait, and enjoy the smell. Stir occasionally. It's okay to go do other things, but turn the heat down first if you're going to the basement. (Depending on how small your pan is, you may need to keep a close eye on it. Sucanat likes to boil up on occasion. It seems to go through stages. If you're working with a cook, you can debate whether it's better to add the oil in separately after the sugar crystals have melted. If you're at home you could try sipping the extra bourbon.) Line some large trays with parchment paper to cool the nuts on later.
7. Boil to a hard-ish soft ball stage. The sugar will darken to a molasses color and thicken. You can test by dripping some into cold water. If you can remove a ball from the water and roll it around between your thumb and fingers without too much give, that's ideal. If using a candy thermometer, I would guess it's about 239 or 240. I tend to like it harder than typical praline because we're essentially candying the nuts and want the flavor to stick to them within the demanding environment of a bowla granola. Plus we're adding more bourbon at the end which could soften it. Turn off the burner.
8. Add 2-3 T of vanilla and the remaining 1/4 cup bourbon. Stir--then let it sit for about ten minutes. (And take care whenever adding alcohol to hot sugar. Things can get a little crazy.) Some people add the nuts at this stage. I prefer to let the sugar cool slightly first so that the nuts incur minimal stirring damage.
9. Start stirring vigorously--for a minute or so--then add half the sugar to half the nuts. Just estimate. If you have help, you can add the other half to the other bowl of nuts and do this in tandem. Otherwise work in stages. Vigorously stir until the nuts/sugar combo starts to lighten in color and get a bit grainy.
10. Quickly dump the nuts out on the lined trays. If you do it right they will separate easily. Cool.
Serving Size: 1/4 c.
Number of Servings: 250
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user EMORIE.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 188.8
- Total Fat: 14.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 21.4 mg
- Total Carbs: 14.8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2.1 g