Overall, I don’t miss the foods I ate way back when. I love real food and don’t feel like I’m missing much. But. BUT! I love pralines. And Mr. Dude loves pralines. And so I do still make them once a year, with the cups of sugar, butter and cream, and there’s not a thing about them that I can eat except the pinch of salt (pecans bother my tummy, so those are out, too). While I love the appearance and smell of pralines, it’s always made me a little sad not to have them.
And then…I did it. For reals. To be honest, I never thought it would work, but it did! Not only are they delicious, but they’re EASY and the recipe is quite forgiving, even, um, if you get distracted and forget about them. Unless I’m the only one who does that. They also only have 5 ingredients.
For those of you who avoid candy thermometers like the plague: try it. I swear. It’s easier than you think. I use this one.
- 1/3 of a cup of coconut cream (skimmed off the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk) If the coconut milk isn’t solid, use 1/3 cup +1 TBSP from the top of the can
- 1 cup maple syrup
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup almonds or pecans.
- Pinch of ground vanilla bean—I’m sure vanilla extract would work, too.
Boil the coconut cream, the maple and the salt over medium heat until the thermometer hits 240 degrees, but even 250 still worked. (additional note: the thermometer should NOT be touching the bottom of the pan!) Remove the pot from the heat, let sit ~6 min–it will read 120 degrees. Stir in the vanilla and whisk until creamy. Stir in almonds, and portion out scant tablespoon clusters onto cookie sheets lined with wax or parchment paper. After 30 min, wrap whatever is left in wax paper and store in an airtight container.
If the “batter” gets hard and start clumping, return to the burner on low heat and add in 1 T more coconut cream.
That’s it.
You’re welcome.
The only hard part is not eating too many—too much coconut gives me a tummy ache, and I am SO not used to such a sugar rush.
I’m submitting this to Ricki’s Wellness Weekends roundup, where there are many other vegan, refined sugar free treats and eats.
Stumble It!
Can’t wait to try these, Cheryl! Great job, dear! 🙂
Shirley
They’re awesome Shirley! Hope you love them.
Oh my goodness!! Yummyness abounds! These look and sound irresistible 🙂
These sound and look absolutely incredible! 🙂
Marianne,
They absolutely are. I’ve made them 3 times and each time, I’ve been overwhelmed by how simply awesome they are.
Megan,
Thanks! I just wish I had more right now. 😉
Hmm, well I struggled with these. I think it’s because my candy thermometer broke so wasn’t attached to the pot but rather I’d stick it in and check the temp every so often. First it was too hard so I put it back in the pot and added a bit more coconut cream. It didn’t seem to absorb all that well so I dumped it out in a blob onto my silpat. The taste is divine but they are very soft this time. I am deciding whether to add them to coconut milk ice cream or maybe to brownie batter…I will try again some day when I get more maple syrup.
Hi Jessica,
I’m sorry it was a struggle! A few things:
I’ve made it 4 times, 3 worked well. the other I used a lower temperature, and they were too soft.
The “batter” does harden quickly, just like regular pralines, so you do have to really move after you pull them from the heat.
It’s always a good idea to calibrate your candy thermometer by boiling water and checking that it reads 212. I’ve had that make life more challenging in the past.
Love your idea for re-purposing the soft yumminess.
Thanks so much for the feedback. Let me know how it goes next time!
I just made these & they are DIVINE! What a treat! My hubby brought home donuts today & I dont eat them anymore. So I felt I to have a treat. So glad I came across this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
So delighted…thanks for letting me know, Natalia!