Erin's Very Favorite Pralines


Ingredients:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup Half and Half
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon butter or margarine
  • 2 cup pecans (may use halves, broken pieces, or chopped)


Directions:
Use a candy thermometer. They are inexpensive, and will make your life easier! All ingredients should be handy and measured before beginning candy. Place the aluminum foil-covered pans adjacent to the stove top. When dropping the cooked candy, work quickly to keep candy hot while dropping. If candy cools before dropping, it begins to lose the shiny, glass-like appearance. The candy will still be good, but not quite as pretty. If candy becomes too hard to remove from the saucepan, heat again very briefly to "get it moving." Cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil, and prepare the foil with spray-oil. In a heavy 2-or 3-quart saucepan, combine both sugars, Half and Half, and salt. Place candy thermometer in a mixture; then heat, and stir constantly to a temperature of 228 degrees. Stir in the butter and pecans. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, to a temperature of 236 degrees. Remove from heat, and beat to cool until candy just begins to thicken. Quickly drop candy by tablespoonfuls on the aluminum foil. Work as quickly as possible; if candy becomes too thick, heat briefly to soften.