In the late afternoon hush of summer, when the sun dipped low and cicadas sang their golden lullaby, my grandmother would settle into her creaking porch chair, a wide wooden bowl nestled in her lap, her hands dusted with brown sugar. She was not a woman of many words, but her kitchen spoke volumes. And when she made pecan pralines, it was a sermon of sweetness, passed from stove to soul.
I remember the scent most of all. That warm, caramel pull of sugar melting into water, mingling with the roasted perfume of pecans, and that last sigh of butter folding it all into harmony. We called them “Original Pecan Pralines,” but they were anything but ordinary. Each one was a small, golden circle of devotion. A soft crackling reminder about the best things in life.
This recipe came to me in a weathered book, the pages stained with love and time. It’s simple in ingredients, yet full in spirit. It asks only that you stir with care, pour with purpose, and wait just long enough to let the sweetness set.
Original Pecan Pralines Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2½ cups mixed pecan pieces and halves
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions:
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar and water. Stir constantly and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, stir in the pecans. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (235°F).
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter until fully melted and incorporated.
- Quickly drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper. Let them stand until firm.
These are best shared. Wrapped in wax paper, tucked in a tin, or placed delicately beside a steaming cup of coffee, they are a gift. Not just of taste, but of time, and tenderness.
