We’ve been experimenting in the kitchen (testing recipes for Christmas!), and I was keen to see if we could make some praline with our newly discovered skinned roasted hazelnuts.
This is one of those recipes that is both easy and hard at the same time.
There are very few ingredients involved, but like all candymaking it involves judgment and timing, and a gentle, cautious touch. Overcook the caramel by a few seconds (literally), and it will scorch. Stir too vigorously, and you could end up with a bad sugar burn.
Of course, I’ve injured myself more than once in the process, so Pete now makes all the praline in our house. I play prep chef – I measure ingredients, chop nuts, grease trays…and hop from one foot to another in excitement as the sugar browns. Here are Pete’s detailed instructions.
Hazelnut Praline
(based on a recipe from Carole Bloom’s Truffles, Candies & Confections)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts
1. Using a little vegetable oil, grease a pyrex pie plate, making sure to coat well around the bottom edge (to ensure you can lever the finished praline out, if necessary). Bloom’s original instructions are to oil a 9″ round cake pan.
2. Chop the hazelnuts up into small chunks and have them on hand, ready to add to the caramel.
3. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and cook over a high heat. Stir gently until the sugar is dissolved, and then continue to boil without stirring.
4. Keep cooking, never taking your eyes off the caramel, until it turns a light golden brown. It may start to brown unevenly – if that happens, you might need to give the pan a gentle swirl. Bloom recommends brushing the sides of the pan down with warm water to prevent sugar crystals forming, but Pete never bothers with that.
This is the point where you need to exercise judgment – Pete was aiming for a slightly darker caramel this time, but it will also work at a lighter colour than shown below.
Pete wanted me to let you know that the caramel can go from just starting to brown to burnt in a few seconds. You’ll need to act quickly when it’s ready, but also very carefully, as it will be blazing hot and quite dangerous!
5. Turn the heat off and quickly stir in the hazelnuts – the caramel will start to set straight away. You will have about five seconds to stir in the hazelnuts before the mixture stiffens, and then another few seconds to get it out of the saucepan.
6. Quickly, but carefully, pour the mixture into the greased plate and flatten it out as much as possible with a spatula. Allow to cool completely before lifting it off and breaking into pieces as desired.
The finished praline is delicious eaten straight, but of course, I had to chop some up and try it in a chocolate bar. I paired it with Callebaut 811 (54%) – a sweeter dark chocolate than I would normally use, but the perfect complement to the darker caramel flavour!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Mmm! You are so good with candy!
I think this would be called a brittle here. I like the simple ingredients- I make a cashew brittle in the microwave which is simple- but it contains corn syrup and and baking soda. http://heidiannie.com/2010/10/fancy-cashew-brittle-microwave-easy-no-picture-just-the-recipe/
It’s easy- but I’m going to try this with either pecans or cashews- that’s what I have on hand.
Heidi, thank you, but Pete is so good with candy. Frankly, I’m a bit rubbish with all the hot sugar stuff. :)
I think it would be perfect with pecan or cashews, or even peanuts, although if there’s peanut brittle in the house, I’m not sure I’ll be able to exercise any self-control at all! :)
Oh yum Celia!
Thanks Cindy! :)
Your brittle plus dark chocolate must have been extremely good.
Karen, it was a big hit, thank you! I took some with me to the markets yesterday for our fruit and veg suppliers, and they were very happy.. :)
I’d love to see that hopping from one foot to another bit :) That hazelnut praline looks sooo delicious, maybe its worth the potential danger. It could be a group project, hubby and I, since I think I’m too chicken to try something like that by myself. Super idea to put some into a chocolate bar!!
Mel, I get a bit excited, which I think is contra-indicated when messing around with hot sugar syrup. It makes my husband roll his eyes.. :)
Yes, group project, always with candymaking in our house. Marshmallows and fudge and nougat and anything else that involves hot caramel is a two person job in our kitchen. Chocolate I do on my own though. :)
Thanks for posting the picture of the caramel…I’m never sure what exactly is meant by “golden”…it’s so nice to see a picture! Would love to be your neighbor and get to try all of your chocolate creations. =)
Abby, I’d love to be able to share them with you!
Re the colour – it is a darker golden than it needs to be and it’s tricky to get it to that stage without burning. It also has a slight bitter hint to it, which is why I paired it with the sweeter chocolate. After I wrote this post, I tried making the praline following these instructions (just to test it out before putting it up) and I pulled the syrup off when it was just colouring up and a bit lighter than this. It made a slightly sweeter praline, which was better for eating straight.
Oh that’s a bold move, going for a sweet chocolate with the sweet praline. I would have automatically gone for 70%. I must try this out – thanks me dear.
Gillian, hope you like it! As I said to Abby above, Pete’s praline was a bit darker this time (on purpose), which made it good for mixing with the sweeter choc, but not quite as good for eating straight.
I love hazelnuts and chocolate! Gotta bookmark this one for Christmas presents for neighbors this year (I know, I know, it’s only July…)
I know, I know too, it’s only July! :) But we’ve got cooler weather down under at this time of year, which makes it a good time to experiment – hard to do that in a hot December kitchen.. :)
Now as soon as I opened this post, I thought…ohh, I hope she pops it in chocolate… Didn’t disappoint :-)
Looks mighty fine!
Brydie, you know me.. :)
If you have any spare, you could maybe dig out the icrecream machine and make a batch of your finest vanilla, and make a bombe or a block and roll your icecream in this and you will have the favourite icecream of my childhood. I’ve never seen it here, it was a handmade Danish one. I love hazelnut praline, possibly more than liquorice, well it’s a close thing ;)
Oh that’s a great suggestion! Thanks Joanna, we’ll try this next time we make icecream!
Hazelnuts, sugar and chocolate, how lovely! I hate playing with hot sugar. It burns!
Deb, don’t I know it… ;-)
what a fun thing to do together..praline is such a wonderful and versatile sweet but for some reason i rarely make it..must remedy that and try yours..jane
Jane, we do a lot of fun things together in the kitchen! I’d like to make other pralines too – maybe sesame seed or peanut, but we’ve never got around to it…
If you need anyone for a tasting panel…
Thanks Cosmo, I’ll make sure to keep you in mind! :)
Oh, my….why do I visit you? Why do you tempt me so? This praline looks beautiful and of course it’s wrapped it in chocolate deliciously so..
*Scattered mind wanderings, please excuse*
Hehehe…I’d send you some if I could, Chris! :)
I wish you guys didn’t live at the opposite side of the world. Sometimes you post things that so resonate with me, I want to meet. And have your Pete meet my Pete. And meet your lovely family.
And I want to make praline.
:)
Well, all you have to do is send me a plane ticket so I can go to Mamta’s next cooking class, K… ;-)
It would be lovely to meet up, I think we’d have a ball! :)
If I win the lottery or find that genie in the lamp, I’ll be on the case! ;)
Mmm praline is my favourite chocolate filling! I must stay away from this or I shall eat it all.
We had a big get-together with Pete’s family last weekend, and heaps of it got eaten and given away, which I’m pretty happy about.. :)
I definitely won’t be making this unless I have other people around me. I might not be able to stop myself eating it all!
Claire, thankfully heaps of it has now been given away, or I’d be still scoffing it as well.. :)
Wish I could be at the receiving end of one of your Christmas gifts. ;-) Your praline looks fabulous so moreish.
:-) Mandy
Thanks Mandy! It really was delicious.. :)
Celia, I’m so glad you do all the chocolate and bread making – if I had to try even half the sugar and tempering work you do, I would have retired a long, long time ago. I love hazelnuts and chocolate – a marriage of paradise. I wonder how good the praline would be with just a pinch of salt sprinkled over the top while it sets! Thank you heroine!
Oz, you’re kind, thank you! It was a fun thing to make. I’m not really a fan of salted caramel, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work! :)
Mmmmmmm……. Praline AND chocolate! great job guys! I know what you mean with those vicious sugar burns Celia, they last a long long time don’t they? Good for Pete and his heroic handling of all things syrupy!
Becca, thank you! He’s a star, that man of mine. :)
For some reason, I have never made praline, maybe worried the tooth fairy might have to make a special visit.
Roz, I’ve been flossing and brushing carefully, because I know exactly what you mean! :)
Sweet making can be tricky so this step by step guide is really excellent. Do you ever use a sugar thermometer?
Sally, thank you! We often use a candy thermometer, especially when we’re making things like fudge or marshmallows, but it wasn’t really an option here because there quantity was too small.
Yummo! Looks a bit like peanut brittle which I adore!
It is a bit like peanut brittle! :)
Gosh you are adventurous in the kitchen, and that praline looks delicious… and I thought peanut butter, honey and banana was exciting!
Peanut butter, honey and banana is exciting, Ali! :)
Lordy, girl, you are great! Not only praline, but in a chocolate bar too. I imagine that people would pay by the hour to be your next door neighbour – I would!
Amanda, you’re kind, thank you! Did you notice I made the Guinness mustard from the Saveur link you sent out? Post is below. Worked a treat, thank you!
Love the idea of you hopping up and down in excitement. Just wondering if this is allowed in a prep chef ;-) I’ve amazed myself twice now by making praline successfully, hope I can manage it again. Your chocolate looks stunning as always and I bet it tasted fabulous.
Choc, Pete’s used to it now. “Is it ready? Is it ready?” “Not yet” “Now? Is it ready now?”… It’s like small kids in the back of the car…”are we there yet?”… ;-)
The praline chocolate has been the favourite so far of Pete and the neighbours, although I’m still a bit partial to the mint!
That chocolate looks fanstastic Celia.I hope you have saved a bit for me to try!! :)
I’ve got a bar with your name on it, SG! :)
You are an expert at candy making. My dad had candy factories in Venezuela, Spain and Puerto Rico…he would have been very inpressed by your talents.
Norma, that’s so nice, thank you for saying that.. :)
Can I assure the FJALC community of the STUNNING characteristics of the hazlenut praline chocolate. Salty, sweet and nutty tones in dark chocolate. Oh Lord.
Hehehe…glad you enjoyed it, love.. :)