Chocolate Pecan Praline Cream Doughnuts Food

CREAMY PECAN PRALINES

Steps:

• Mix light brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, butter, water and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Stir in pecans and cook over medium heat until mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 238 to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you spoon a drop of boiling syrup into a cup of ice water, it will form a soft ball that flattens easily between your fingers.
• Remove pan from heat and stir rapidly until mixture thickens. Drop pralines by the spoonfuls, 1-inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Let cool completely until firm. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray .
• Remove 3 tablespoons from the ½ cup of chocolate chips and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine both sugars, the cream, the butter, and the salt over medium heat. Stir until the sugars and butter dissolve. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and insert a candy thermometer .
• Continue to cook without stirring until the thermometer reaches 240 F. Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the candy from the heat, take out the thermometer, and immediately add the pecans and the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
• Begin to stir the candy vigorously. The chocolate will melt and the candy will start to get lighter in color and more opaque. Continue to stir until the candy starts to hold its shape. It should still be easy to stir, however. It is important not to stir too much, as pralines quickly go from fluid to rock-solid.
• Once it is a lighter, opaque brown and holds its shape, quickly begin to drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Work quickly to form the candies, as the pralines will start to set in the saucepan.
• If the candy stiffens before you're done scooping, add a spoonful of very hot water and stir until it loosens, then continue scooping until you have formed all the pralines.
• Place the reserved 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave them until melted about 40 seconds.
• Scrape the melted chocolate into a small zip-close bag and cut off the corner. Drizzle melted chocolate over the pralines in a decorative pattern.
• Place the pralines in the refrigerator to set the chocolate, about 15 minutes.
• Store chocolate pralines in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Enjoy!

PECAN PRALINE LACE COOKIES, CUPS, AND CORONETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine the pecans and flour. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir the dry ingredients into a pan. Transfer the batter to a bowl and stir occasionally until it thickens into a dough and is cool enough to handle, about 25 minutes.
• With moistened hands, roll the dough into various size balls, depending on whether you're making cookies, cups or coronets (see below). Place on ungreased baking sheets, 3 to 7 inches apart, depending on size-they spread quite a bit. Bake about 12 minutes, or until the active bubbling subsides. Place the baking sheet on rack and let cool until the cookies are firm enough to lift with a flexible metal spatula but are still malleable, 3 to 5 minutes. Working quickly, mold each into shape and set on a wire rack to cool completely. If the cookies get too cool and brittle to mold, put the try back in the oven for a minute to soften.
• To make 9 dessert bowls: With moistened hands, mold each ball using a rounded tablespoon of dough. Place only 2 balls on the ungreased baking sheet. Have 2 small soup bowls measuring 4 1/2 to 5-inches across the top ready by the oven. Follow the baking instruction above. When set but still malleable, lift the cookies, one at a time, and place each in a bowl, nutty, bumpy side up. Gently press the bottom to flatten. The sides will ruffle prettily. Wipe the excess butter off the baking sheet and continue with the remaining dough. If you have more than 1 baking sheet, stagger the baking so that you can mold 1 tray while the other is in the oven.
• Fill with butterscotch ice cream, pumpkin mousse, bananas and cream, or anything that strikes your fancy and goes well with pecans.
• To make 9 ice cream cones: Follow the baking instructions above for dessert bowls, but when you lift a cookie off the baking sheet, roll it into a cone with the nutty, bumpy side facing out, and hold it for a few seconds to set. Lay it on the cooling rack, seam side down, and place a cylindrical object, such as a pill bottle, in the opening to set until you roll the next cookie.
• Fill with scoops of any flavor ice cream or sorbet that complements pecans.
• To make 18 coronets: With moistened hands, mold rounded teaspoons of the dough into balls. Place about 9 balls on an ungreased baking sheet. Follow the baking instructions for ice-cream cones; you're making a smaller version of the same. Repeat with a second tray.
• Fill with mousse, ice cream, or berries and cream. Place a little dab of cream on the plate to anchor the coronets, and place 1 or 2 coronets on each plate with fruit sauce or hot fudge spilling out of the opening.
• To make 24 cookies: With moistened hands, mold level teaspoons of dough into balls. Place about 12 balls on an ungreased baking sheet. Follow the instructions above. When the cookies are set but still flexible, transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with a second tray.
• To make 24 cigarettes: Follow the baking instructions for cookies, but when you lift a cookie off the baking sheet, roll it around a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. Lay it on the cooling rack, seam side down. If the cookies get too brittle to mold, put the baking sheet back in the oven for a minute to soften them. To dip the ends in melted chocolate, immerse 1 end of a cookie, then the other, shake off the excess chocolate, and dip the end into a small bowl of grated chocolate.
• Lay it on a sheet pan lined with parchment or waxed paper. When all the cookies are dipped, place the tray in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the chocolate sets.

BUTTER PECAN DONUTS

Steps:

• For the donuts: Add the yeast, granulated sugar, milk, flour, salt, eggs, egg yolks and shortening to a mixing bowl (in the order listed). Mix on low speed with a dough hook attachment until the dough is very smooth and elastic and makes a slapping sound against the sides of the bowl, 25 to 30 minutes. Scrape the dough into a greased container, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Two hours before you want to roll the dough, remove it from the refrigerator to temper. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and roll to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the donuts using a donut cutter and place on a tray with parchment paper that's been greased and floured. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 1 hour.
• Turn on your deep fryer to 325 degrees F. When they are ready to fry, the donuts will be very light and airy feeling; they should barely hold their shape when handled. Fry for 2 minutes per side. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
• For the butter crunch: First, make the toffee. Heat the butter, granulated sugar and salt in a nonreactive pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until deep golden or camel colored. Pour onto a silicone baking mat or sprayed parchment paper on a tray and let cool completely. It will be very hard and shatter if you tap it. Then, grind the toffee in a food processor with the toasted pecans. It should be uniformly finely ground.
• For the glaze: Whisk the milk and confectioners' sugar together until perfectly smooth. Strain to remove any lumps.
• To assemble: Dunk the cooled donuts in the glaze. Let it drain for 1 minute. Roll the donut in the butter crunch, making sure to completely cover all sides.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PRALINE SAUCE (PAMPERED CHEF)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter and chocolate chips over medium heat.
• Stir until blended and add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
• Boil 5 minutes.
• Add evaporated milk, pecans, and vanilla extract.
• Stir and boil 1 minute longer.
• Cool a little and serve warm on top of ice cream or a brownie sundae!