Chocolate Covered Almond Pralines Food

CHOCOLATE-COVERED ALMOND PRALINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees, about 3 minutes.
• Add toasted nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to crystallize, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar forms a thin, sandlike coating on nuts, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool for 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly.
• Working in batches, sift nuts in a colander to remove excess sugar, and transfer nuts to a large bowl. Add chocolate, stirring to coat nuts completely. Pour mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and separate clusters into individual nuts using a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Toss pralines with cocoa in a large bowl, tapping off excess. Fill 75 mini baking cups with 4 pralines each.

CHOCOLATE COVERED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Place the granulated sugar and water in a large copper pot or 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the almonds and stir to coat them evenly in the sugar syrup. Your goal is to cook the almonds until the sugar crystallizes and caramelizes.
• When water is added to the sugar, the sugar crystals are dissolved. As it boils, the syrup becomes thicker as the water evaporates and big soap-like bubbles begin to form. Soon, all the moisture evaporates and the mixture becomes sandy. The sandiness is the sugar recrystallizing. It only takes the reformation of one sugar crystal to recrystallize the others. Keep stirring! Next, you see the sugar closest to the heat change from sandy to a clear liquid. The melted sugar clings to the almonds. When the sugar changes from clear to golden brown, the nuts are caramelized. Once this happens, pay close attention; the time it takes to pass from caramelized to burned is only a matter of seconds, especially when making smaller batches. You know the nuts are finished when most of the sandy sugar is gone.
• The first few times you make these, I suggest you try the following: When the sugar closest to the heat changes from sandy to liquid, remove the pan from the burner and continue to stir. The residual heat in the sugar and nuts will continue to cook the mixture while you stir it. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to stir the nuts while moving the saucepan on and off the heat at 10-second intervals. This will give you more control as it cooks. When the nuts begin to caramelize, remove them from the heat and finish stirring.
• Use a wooden spoon to spread the caramelized nuts onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Do not touch the nuts as they are extremely hot. Let the nuts cool completely. If your freezer will accommodate the baking sheet, you can place the nuts in the freezer for about 30 minutes to speed up the cooling process. When completely cooled, break apart any nut clusters that may have formed. At this stage, you can choose to serve the nuts as they are.
• Place the caramelized nuts in the coating pan attached to the stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Use a ladle to add the chocolate to the spinning nuts. Add 1 ladle at a time until the nuts are coated to the desired thickness. If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate. If a thinner coat is desired, decrease the amount of chocolate. Finish by adding cocoa powder to the coating pan. Remove and serve.

CHOCOLATE-TOPPED PRALINES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and have a tablespoon-sized cookie scooper ready.
• Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, butter and baking soda to a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally, until the sugars are dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pot and continue to cook until the mixture reaches between 235 to 240 degrees F. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Add the pecans, vanilla and salt and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the candy begins to dull and the mixture starts to thicken, about 4 minutes. Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds with the cookie scooper onto the prepared baking sheet (see Cook's Note). Cool completely until set and the pralines have reached room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Add the chocolate chips to a heat-resistant metal or glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water and stir until completely melted. Remove bowl from the heat. Using a spoon, add a dollop of chocolate on the top of each of the praline mounds and use the back of the spoon to spread slightly and create a swirl in the chocolate. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt, if using. Let cool completely until set (see Cook's Note). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator with wax paper between the layers of pralines.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PECANS

Steps:

• Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a medium metal bowl, and set on top of a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir pecan halves into the chocolate until completely coated.
• Remove a few pecans at a time with a slotted spoon. Separate pecan halves and place onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to set.

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper.
• In a heavy 3 quart saucepan combine sugar,brown sugar,cocoa and light cream.
• Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture boils.
• Reduce heat to low,cook stirring occanionally to 234 degrees (soft ball stage).
• Remove from heat.
• Add butter and vanilla.
• DO NOT STIR.
• Cool at room temperature to 160 degrees.
• Add pecans,Beat with wooden spoon just until mixture begins to thicken (about 1-2 minutes) but is still glossy.
• Quickly drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
• Cool.
• Store covered.

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE-COVERED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Set a pot of water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add a double boiler to the top of the pot and lower heat to a simmer.
• Add chocolate and coconut oil to the double boiler. Stir until chocolate is melted.
• Place a drip rack over a parchment-lined pan. Place almonds on top of the drip rack. Pour chocolate over the almonds. Allow chocolate to dry.
• Once dry, store almonds in a resealable container.

ALMOND - PECAN BARK

Steps:

• Melt white chocolate and add almond oil.
• Toast nuts and spread on cookie sheet.
• Spread chocolate over nuts and chill.