Chocolate Praline Cookies Food

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack, tossing halfway through, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, 6-8 minutes. Let cool.
• Gather almonds into a tight pile on a nonstick silicone baking mat or a rimmed baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Cook granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, undisturbed, until it begins to liquefy and turn golden brown around the edges. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to incorporate melted sugar into unmelted sugar and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all sugar is melted and caramel turns a medium amber color, 6-8 minutes. Carefully pour caramel over almonds and let cool.
• Break almond mixture into large pieces and transfer to a food processor. Process, scraping down sides occasionally, until praline paste is very smooth and creamy (it should be as smooth as peanut butter with a slightly oily sheen; this takes time, so be patient), 12-16 minutes.
• Cook butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it foams, then browns, about 5 minutes. Let cool until just warm.
• Whisk flour, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat brown butter, praline paste, and brown sugar in a large bowl until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until mostly combined. Using a wooden spoon, mix in chocolate. Scrape out dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll up into a 1 3/4"-diameter log. Chill until very firm, at least 2 hours.
• Reheat oven to 350°F. Slice dough into generous 1/4"-thick slices with a serrated knife and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake until cookies are firm around the edges and slightly darker, 9-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.
• Do Ahead
• Praline paste can be made 1 week ahead; store airtight at room temperature. Dough can be made 3 days ahead; wrap in plastic and keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.

MISS BROWN'S PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Arrange the chopped pecans on half of the prepared baking sheet and place the pecan halves on the other half. Bake the pecans until toasted, about 10 minutes. When done, set aside to cool, keeping the chopped pecans and pecan halves separate.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer. Add 1 egg at a time, beating to combine, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture in 2 batches, beating well to combine. Fold in the toasted chopped pecans.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. With an ice-cream scoop, scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets (making sure you leave at least 1 inch of space between each). Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Chilling the dough helps prevent it from spreading during baking.
• After your dough chills for at least an hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then bake the cookies until slightly golden brown around the edges, 11 to 12 minutes (12 to 13 minutes for crispier cookies). Add a pecan half to the middle of each cookie and cool to room temperature.
• For the praline sauce: While the cookies are cooling, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and milk to a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, whisking continuously. Boil and whisk for 3 minutes more, or until the sauce is thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat. Let cool for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Drizzle the sauce over the cookies before serving. The cookies and any leftover praline sauce will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days stored separately. Spoon leftover sauce over ice cream or stir into hot coffee.

PERFECTLY PECAN PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Praline:
• In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together constantly the sugar and water. Cook until boiling for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until the syrup is golden brown in color. It is important to remove the saucepan from the heat just as the sugar begins to darken to an amber color. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup pecans. Carefully pour the hot mixture onto a parchment lined sheet tray. Let cool until completely firm. Transfer to a plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin, and reserve for the cookie dough.
• Cookies:
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with a hand mixer. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• Stir in the flour and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Fold in the reserved crushed praline until combined. Drop 1 tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop of the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.
• While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir until smooth. When the cookies are done drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

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 PRALINE ICE CREAM TOPPING

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring cream, brown sugar and butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in the chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Stir in pecans. Serve warm over ice cream. Store in the refrigerator.

PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Cover and chill until dough is easy to handle, about 1 hour. , Form into 1-in. balls; place 2-in. apart on greased baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with fingers; sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon pecans. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks. , Meanwhile, for icing, combine the brown sugar and cream in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; blend in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla and maple flavoring. Beat in salt and flour until a smooth dough is formed. Shape dough into a log 12 inches long, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE BRAINS

Steps:

• For the chocolate hazelnut center: Melt the hazelnut praline paste and dark chocolate over a double boiler. Stir in the feuilletine. Stir over an ice bath until cool. Once cooled, scoop out 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll into spheres. Reserve on a sheet pan until the marzipan is ready.
• For the marzipan: Mix the almond paste and glucose in mixer with a paddle attachment. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the consistency of stiff cookie dough. Remove from the bowl and continue mixing by hand until uniform consistency.
• To assemble: Roll out a small amount of marzipan into a flat disc. Place a sphere of chocolate hazelnut in the middle of the marzipan disc. Fold up he marzipan over the chocolate, covering the center completely.

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.

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.

PRALINE CHOCOLATE DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with pecans., In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour over pecans. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set., In a large bowl, beat filling ingredients until smooth. Spread over praline layer. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set., For ganache, place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set., Loosen sides of pan with a knife. Remove rim from pan. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate leftovers. ,

CHOCOLATE PRALINES, MEXICAN STYLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir white sugar, light brown sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup, and cocoa powder in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup reaches 220 degrees F (104 degrees C) when measured with a candy thermometer. A small amount of syrup dropped into cold water should form a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in marshmallows, vanilla extract, butter, and pecans, beating the candy by hand until creamy and the candy begins to to set up slightly at the edges of the pan, about 10 minutes.
• Drop the warm candy by teaspoons onto the parchment paper; allow room for pralines to spread slightly. Cool the candy thoroughly before serving.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Make cream puffs:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
• Spoon pâte à chou into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe about 55 mounds onto baking sheets, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds. With a finger dipped in water gently smooth pointed tip of each mound to round puffs. Bake puffs in upper third of oven 10 minutes, switching position of sheets in oven halfway through baking if necessary. Reduce temperature to 400°F. and bake puffs 20 minutes more, or until puffed and golden. Let puffs stand in turned-off oven 30 minutes. Transfer puffs to racks to cool. With a skewer poke a 1/4-inch hole in bottom of each puff. Puffs may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Recrisp puffs in 400°F. oven 5 minutes and cool before filling.
• Make filling:
• In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat pastry cream until just smooth and soft enough to fold in heavy cream (do not overbeat). In a chilled bowl with cleaned beaters beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks and fold in praline powder. Fold whipped cream mixture into pastry cream. Chill filling, covered, about 1 hour, or until cold.
• Fill cream puffs:
• Transfer filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain top and barely fill each puff (do not overfill), putting filled puffs in a shallow baking pan.
• Make caramel:
• In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar and water and bring to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water to dissolve any sugar crystals until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup over moderately high heat, without stirring, until it begins to turn pale caramel. Still without stirring, gently swirl syrup in pan (so that it colors evenly) until it begins to turn golden caramel and remove from heat. Caramel will continue to color slightly off heat and will thicken as it cools. As caramel begins to reach thickness of corn syrup, return pan to a burner at lowest possible heat, using a flame-tamer if necessary, and keep warm (do not simmer).
• Assemble croquembouche:
• Line a tray with wax paper. Working quickly with 1 cream puff at a time, impale bottom of each puff on tip of a small serrated knife and carefully dip top in caramel, leaving bottom 1/3 inch uncoated (to facilitate handling) and letting excess drip off. (Be extremely careful when working with hot caramel.) Set puff, coated side up, on prepared tray. When all puffs are coated, center 3, touching to form a triangle, on a cake-decorating turntable. Form a ring of 9 puffs around triangle and, working with 1 of the 9 puffs at a time, carefully dip 1 edge into caramel, letting excess drip off, and affix puffs to one another in a tight ring around first 3 puffs. Dip bottom of a puff in caramel and center it over middle of first 3 puffs. Working with 1 puff at a time, carefully dip 1 edge of each puff into caramel, letting excess drip off, and build a second, slightly smaller ring on top of the first using 8 puffs (if necessary adding an additional puff in center to stabilize ring), making sure each puff is glued with caramel to the one before it.
• Build on top of first 2 rows 4 more rings of 5 puffs each in same manner, always building from inside out with an additional puff in center as support.
• For top of croquembouche build 1 layer of 3 puffs and top with 1 puff. Let caramel harden 5 minutes and loosen croquembouche from turntable with a spatula. Transfer croquembouche with hands to a platter.
• Slip 5-inch-wide bands of wax paper under edges of croquembouche to protect from caramel drips. Remove caramel from heat and cool to thickness of molasses, 2 to 3 minutes. Dip tip of a small spoon in caramel and drizzle caramel decoratively over croquembouche. (Alternately, all puffs may be dipped in initial caramel and put in a shallow serving bowl without being molded into a cone shape.) Let caramel harden and remove wax paper. croquembouche is best served as soon as possible but may be made up to 12 hours ahead and chilled but not covered.
• To serve croquembouche, lightly shatter caramel cage with back of a knife and dismantle, 1 puff at a time.

BEST PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Grease a large baking sheet with butter; set aside.
• Stir together the 1/3 cup granulated sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until boiling.
• Cook for 2 -/2 to 3-1/2 minutes more or until syrup is a deep golden brown. Remove from heat.
• Stir in nuts. Immediately pour onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Cool completely on a wire rack until firm.
• Transfer the firm praline to a heavy plastic bag.
• Using a rolling pin, crush the praline into small pieces; set aside.
• For cookies, beat the 1 cup butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
• Add brown sugar, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and baking soda; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour and crushed praline.
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
• Drizzle melted chocolate over cookies.

CRUNCHY PRALINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream together butter and sugar, then add the egg.
• Sift dry ingredients together, then add together.
• Roll dough into half-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.
• With the end of a wooden spoon, or with a dowel, make a small well in each ball.
• Place 1/4 teaspoon pecan topping in each cookie.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, keeping an eye on them towards the end as they can burn quickly.
• Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
• Note: Original recipe called for 1 Tablespoon whiskey, bourbon or orange juice to be added along with the egg, but I've never used it and found they turn out fine without.