Chocolate Pralines Food

NO-BAKE CORNFLAKE-CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Toast the pecans in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let cool, then coarsely chop.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the pecans and cornflakes in a large bowl.
• Make the caramel: Bring the butter, cane syrup, heavy cream and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and comes together into a loose ball, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Once the caramel stops bubbling, stir in the semisweet chocolate until melted.
• Pour the chocolate caramel over the cornflake mixture and toss to coat. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets and pack into compact mounds with your fingers. Let set, about 1 hour.
• Put the white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Drizzle over the cookies and let set, about 1 more hour.

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.

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 COOKIES

Steps:

• Set oven to 375°F.
• Cream butter and brown sugar together with an electric hand mixer, or if you would rather do it by hand, a heavy spatula will work.
• Add the baking powder and egg until the mixture looks smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Slowly beat the flour into the mixture, a quarter cup at a time until you use all the flour.
• Add your pecans or walnuts. (I have used both together, and apart, either way they taste wonderful! In fact I have even altered this recipe and used ground almonds).
• If you think the dough is too warm you may want to put it in the freezer. When I bake in the winter I often will put all my cookie doughs in the freezer for fifteen minutes before working with them. If the dough is too warm, it will spread while baking and you will get pancakes rather then cookies :).
• Take the dough from the freezer and drop it by the teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet approx 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookie looks golden, when you lift the cookies they should have an even color on the bottom.
• Cool the cookies on a wire rack until they are cool to touch.
• While the cookies cool gather your semisweet chips and vegetable shortening in a small sandwich baggie. If you want you can use a chocolate melting double boiler. Personally I like to do things the quick and easy way, so take your baggie of chocolate and shortening and seal it closed, then put it in a bowl of warm water. Wait approximately five minutes and the chocolate should have melted. If not repeat with warmer water. Use your finger to make sure the chocolate and shortening have mixed.
• Using a scissors snip the corner of the sandwich baggie and drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies. For small drizzles make only a slight cut in the corner of the bag, for larger chocolate lines, make a larger cut. I usually make designs on the cookies with the chocolate. Simple criss cross lines look elegant and sophisticated.
• These cookies are one of my favorites, and I often bring them to parties or special occasions because of their beautiful appearance and interesting flavor.
• **To Toast Nuts**.
• Set oven to 350°F.
• Place nuts on baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for approximately 5-8 minutes checking frequently, and stirring them about on the sheet. They should become a golden bronze color, depending on the nut. The toasting of nuts will allow for a richer flavor usually.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PRALINE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a small heavy saucepan, cook the butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Divide evenly into two 9" cake pans. Spread this mixture over the bottom of pans and sprinkle liberally with ½ cup pecans in each.
• In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, water & eggs at low speed until moistened; then beat 2 minutes at high speed. Divide evenly into the two cake pans by carefully spooning batter over pecans around edges of pan and then over the center area.
• Bake 50-60 minutes or until ice pick inserted in the center tests clean.
• Cool 5 minutes only. Then cover each pan with wax paper and invert onto wire racks to finish cooling. Determine which cake layer will be the top layer and add as many additional chopped pecans as desired to make topping lush and attractive looking.
• When completely cooled, with both hands, carefully lift up the layer of cake to be the bottom layer and remove the waxed paper. Place on a serving/cake platter.
• Spread frosting over the top of the pecans, filling in all the spaces around the bottom layer. Repeat procedure to place top layer of cake on the bottom layer, except DO NOT frost the top. Frost the sides only.
• Then melt chocolate morsels with about a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a consistency that you can drizzle back and forth across the top of the cake to give it a finished look. You can do this by putting the chocolate chips and oil in a small Ziploc bag and placing the sealed bag in a pan or dish of hot water for a few minutes until chips are melted. Lift bag from water and dry off. Then compress the contents together with your fingers until well blended. Snip off a very small corner and the bottom of the bag and allow glaze to drizzle out while moving bag across top of the cake.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients. Cook low, stirring constantly until sugar and butter melts.
• Bring to a boil and increase heat to medium. At the boiling point, discontinue stirring or the pralines will become grainy. Continue to cook 3 minutes or until thermometer reaches 230 degrees.
• Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture begins to thicken. This may take up to 5 minutes.
• Working rapidly, drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper coated with cooking spray.

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.