Sugar Savvy

I have Paula Deen to thank for inspiring this recipe. Recently I was flipping through her latest book when I came across her recipe for “Buttermilk Pralines”. I found the thought of buttermilk in pralines interesting enough that I had to give it a shot. So I compared her recipe to several others, and found out that buttermilk in pralines isn’t such a unique concept.

A month or so ago I broke my candy thermometer and have yet to replace it, so I had to do some digging to find a recipe that didn’t require one. After that I was off and running. I couldn’t decide on one recipe over another, so I created my own, adapted from Paula Deen’s “buttermilk pralines”, along with several other recipes found online. I must say, even though as I’m writing this I still have yet to sample the completely finished product, I can tell already that these pralines are fit for a queen!

I have to admit I’m a little nervous that the pralines may not harden completely, and if they don’t I’m to blame. I give credit, or I should probably say blame, to my poor attempts at multi-tasking. As much as I’d like to believe I can gossip on the phone and successfully whip up a tasty treat all at once, I’m not so sure. But I assure you, if you actually follow the recipe and do as directed, your pralines will be fit for a queen.

Pralines Fit For A Queen

2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups pecans
1 tsp vanilla

In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, baking soda, buttermilk and salt. Cook on high, stirring continuously for 5 minutes. Add butter and pecans, continue stirring. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat mixture with a wooden spoon until thick and creamy. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let harden.