Pecan Praline Candy - Candy Makers Throw Away Your Candy Thermometers!

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Pecan Praline Candy is a sweet, creamy, yummy confection found in virtually every gift or specialty shop in New Orleans. In the French Quarter, you can even find shops making this delicious candy as you watch.

There is a definite trick when trying to make pecan candy at home.  Traditional pecan praline candy requires the use of a thermometer when cooking the sugary mixture.  If the mixture is not hot enough, the candy will not harden and is a gooey mess. If the mixture hardens too much, the candy will become very brittle.  Most pecan praline recipes call for the thermostat to reach 238 degrees or the mixture to reach the soft-ball stage.  You must constantly stir the mixture or expect disastrous results.

Confection

For the cooking challenged with a sweet tooth, I have the perfect Microwave Pecan Praline Candy Recipe.  Please do not laugh or call me crazy.  I have tried the recipe and it is so easy and almost foolproof.  No need to stand over a hot stove stirring and monitoring your candy sugar mixture.  You do not need to know what the soft-ball stage is, because you can literally throw away your candy thermometer.  It is not needed!

Microwave Pecan Praline Candy Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream

1 pound light brown sugar

2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons margarine, softened

Directions

Mix cream and sugar together. Microwave 13 minutes on high. Remove from microwave. Add margarine and pecans. Quickly stir. Drop onto waxed paper using a tablespoon. Let cool, then watch them disappear.

Now, I will be honest.  As good as this microwave pecan praline candy recipe is, nothing beats the smell and texture of Pecan Praline Candy that is slowly cooked, but this is an awesome substitute, especially for the cooking challenged!  You be the judge.

Pecan Praline Candy - Candy Makers Throw Away Your Candy Thermometers!

Dianna Eure Smith is a Cajun cooking enthusiast. When her New Orleans in-laws lost the family recipe book during hurricane Katrina, she decided to create a website, http://www.Cooking-New-Orleans-Style.com where the family recipes could be viewed by all of her displaced friends and family. Dianna's free newsletter, "Cajun Cooking News" is loaded with additional free recipes as well as cooking tips and techniques. Subscribe for FREE recipe alerts and find more Pecan Recipes.