How to Make Praline - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

Bold Baking is all about having the confidence to bake anytime, anywhere, and to help you do that, I love teaching you the building blocks to incredible desserts. My Bold Baking Basics are just that: the foundation to creating fantastic results, and How To Make Praline is no different.

From folding praline into ice cream or Praline Fudge, to topping off brownies and blondies, this caramel flavored, nut-studded candy is an absolute must try!

What is Praline?

No, praline is not just a flavor added to drinks by way of syrup, it’s first and foremost a candy.

My recipe starts out similarly to a caramel with sugar, butter, and water, but instead of adding cream or another liquid component to make a sauce, it’s mixed with nuts and then poured onto a flat surface to harden.

Once it cools it takes on the look and texture of hard candy — shiny and glass-like. The best part about making it is cracking and shattering it into gorgeous large shards. These shards or chunks of homemade praline can be eaten or given as a gift all on their own, or they can be added to other sweets and baked goods. Either way the flavor is off the charts.

What are the best nuts for praline?

Praline can be made with all different kinds of nuts, but the most classic flavor is almond. I like to use thin toasted slivered almonds as they look lovely and lie nice and flat. The heat of the candy toasts the nut when they meet, too, and as it hardens the nuts set into the candy making for a really professional look.

Side note: You can add already roasted and even salted nuts into your candy and this will just add even more flavor.

Why won’t my praline set?

Even though praline has a caramel-like flavor and scent, it should in no way resemble caramel sauce or soft chewy caramel. The low fat content is very different than in its cousin caramel.

Just one tablespoon of butter is used in the base, too, which ensures it will in fact harden up while still being slightly rich and creamy like Werther’s style hard candy. If your praline doesn’t set, either you used the wrong amount of butter or perhaps it is a very humid day as moisture in the air can affect the setting of your praline.

Does praline need to be refrigerated?

Since praline is a hard cooked candy, it is best stored at room temperature in a cool and dry place. You don’t want the praline to come in contact with moisture, so I suggest covering and storing in an airtight container.

Another awesome thing about my homemade praline is that it will keep for quite some time. I love to keep praline in my kitchen if I can, but I find it never lasts very long ;).

Get Even More Bold Baking Basics!

• Homemade Extracts
• Corn Syrup Substitute
• How to Make Simple Syrups

Don’t forget to follow Bigger Bolder Baking on Pinterest, too!

Ingredients

Instructions