Café au Lait Pralines

Who doesn’t feel like royalty when presented with the gift of a pile of pralines? These get a little bitterness to offset the sweetness with the addition of chicory coffee, which we infuse into the cream. To make traditional pralines, omit the infusion step and reduce the total cream to ¾ cup.

By Stephanie Jane Carter / Photography By Matthew Noel | December 15, 2014

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons ground coffee and chicory
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated white sugar
1¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
1½ cups Louisiana pecan halves

Instructions

Infuse the cream with chicory coffee by heating both together over medium-high heat in a small, heavybottom pot. Bring to a boil. Then promptly remove from heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside. You should end up with ¾ cup coffee cream.

In a large heavy-bottom pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the white sugar and the brown sugar, as well as the ¾ cup coffee cream. Continue to stir as the sugars to melt, allowing the mixture to come to a simmer. Add the pecans and stir until the mixture reaches 240°F. on a candy thermometer. When measuring the temperature, make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.

Stir with vigor until the mixture thickens and there is some resistance to the pecans moving. Portion the mixture out into approximately 3-ounce portions onto parchmentlined baking sheets, leaving an inch between each praline.

Resist temptation and cool completely. Pralines can be stored for 3 days in an airtight container.