5 Tips And Tricks To Get The Perfect Homemade Praline

Adapted from old French and Belgian recipes, pralines are a sweet confection made up of sugar, milk, butter and nuts. Usually used as a filling for chocolate, these delicious treats have a prominent place in the heart of every true chocolate lover.

However, like many other confections, a homemade praline recipe might require a little time and effort to get it right from the get-go.

From using the correct ingredients and equipment to following the right method, there are many details that you need to pay attention to for the best homemade praline.

Since there are different varieties in praline, you’ll also need to narrow down on the type you’d like to make.

At Melt, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks for any homemade praline recipe to help you get the perfect and delicious confection.

So without further ado, let’s take a look!

1. Keep Your Ingredients Ready And Prepare Your Worktop

The biggest concern in any easy homemade praline recipe is time; the entire cooking process is time-sensitive and needs to be done quickly.

While pralines aren’t quite as fussy, when compared to other types of confections, during the cooking process you can’t pause or take a break. This means, you need to have all your ingredients measured out and ready.

You’ll also need to have your equipment and parchment in place for the pralines as prepping your kitchen beforehand can make things much easier. Additionally, consider keeping your workspace clean and covered with parchment paper or aluminium foil to take out the molten praline.

2. Abide By The Recipe

Let’s face it, many of us are guilty of tweaking recipes from time to time. While some sweet and savoury dishes do allow you to get creative with your ingredients, certain recipes may face a significant change in quality and texture and with pralines, it’s usually the latter.

By altering the traditional praline recipe, you might come across challenges that will affect the end result.

From the sugar taking too long to melt to the syrup hardening in the pot, there might be unwanted changes that can affect your praline. Due to this, you may end up with hardened blocks of sugar.

To avoid this, sticking by the recipe is usually a wise decision unless you’re a professional and you understand the technicalities involved in the process.

3. Always Have A Separate Candy Thermometer

Especially important for beginners, a candy thermometer is a crucial piece of equipment you must have if you want to get the best homemade praline.

Whether you’re creating a praline filling for your bonbon or truffle or just making a classic almond praline, a thermometer will help you identify the exact moment the mixture needs to be taken off heat and cooled.

Since the praline making process requires you to keep an eye on the mixture at all times, having a candy thermometer informs you of the different stages the syrup has reached. This further makes it easier for you to move on to the next step.

While those who are amazing at candy and desserts might be able to figure this out just by looking at the consistency, for those who haven’t quite reached that level yet, a candy thermometer is a perfect aid.

4. Try Praline Making On A Cool, Dry Day

Humidity can have a major impact on any candy-making process and pralines are no exception. Dry and humid weather always results in your candy having an unpleasant grainy and sugary texture, thereby making it unappealing.

To avoid this, always try your best to make the confection on a cool and dry day. If this is not possible, the next best thing would be to cook the syrup one or two degrees higher than what is mentioned in the recipe.

While the grainy texture can always be altered and used as a praline filling, try your best to create a smooth batch.

5. Be Patient But Efficient

Waiting for the sugar syrup to achieve a smooth and velvety texture may take up a fair amount of time. While it’s essential for you to be patient, you also need to be quick to avoid the syrup from hardening in the pan itself. Put simply, you need to keep a constant eye on the consistency and the candy thermometer.

From melting the syrup to quickly transferring it onto the parchment paper, you need to switch gears quickly to avoid the mixture from hardening. After all, this is the only way to successfully whip up some delicious praline.

Visit Melt To Try Our Word-Class Praline Making Experience

The one thing better than a delicious homemade praline recipe is Melt’s praline making class conducted by our renowned chocolatiers.

While making praline on your own is certainly commendable, why not sign up for our online class to get a better understanding of the entire process which also includes tasting delicious chocolates with us?

In our Make your own praline class, not only do you get to try out our secret recipe, but you also get the opportunity to taste some of the best chocolates in the world.

Well then, what are you waiting for?

Get in touch with us to book your praline making class today!