Learn how to make delicious Homemade Pralines with this super easy recipe from the New Orleans School of Cooking! They’re so nutty and sweet, you’ll want to make them all the time!
Easy Homemade Pralines Recipe
What a great weekend I had in New Orleans last week. I was fortunate to spend 4 days with a group of bloggers and the LA Seafood Board. We ate our way through the best restaurants and met with seafood fisherman to get a hands on look at how much love and work goes into their jobs. A real eye opening experience, I have so much respect for all of them.
Exploring New Orleans
Let me take you through a peek at the adventures we went on day 1.
We were so lucky to stay at The Bourbon Orleans Hotel, right in the middle of the French Quarter.
Photo via Marla Meridith
We had a lovely gift bag of sweets from Sucre’ Bakery Boutique and a giant arrangement of Zatarains products waiting in our rooms. How gorgeous is this?
Last Thursday evening we dined at the Bistro at Maison De Ville. The food was delicious, I tried my first set of frog legs. So cliche, but yes tasted like chicken 🙂
I am not sure what I will do without Camillia’s Grill. Amanda and I enjoyed their charming diner 3 times in 4 days. No kidding, they had the best breakfast Western Omelet I have ever had. See photos below. We spotted their secret ingredient. Finely chopped ham and peppers sauteed in LOTS of butter before the eggs get poured over. Worth every single calorie.
Here is the inside diner. Love Love Loved it 🙂
Here are the guys hard at work, they were as sweet as the food was delicious. It’s a must do if you are in New Orleans.
The photos don’t even do these dishes justice. We split a side of pancakes and some grits too. Love!
After breakfast on Friday, we headed to the Louisiana Seafood Festival, lots to see and even more to eat. I got a kick out of the gator offerings. You don’t see this in Orange County 🙂 Matt and Adam tried the gator sausage and everyone raved about it, guess Mr. Gator is mighty tasty.
We also had front row seats to chef demo’s at the festival. Talented local Chef’s prepared beautiful seafood dishes and shared. How good does that shrimp and coconut look that Chef John Folse is holding?
Here we are getting interviewed by the LA Seafood camera man. Not sure where our faces will show up. Matt and Amanda doing a fine job on camera 🙂
Photo Via Matt Amaranderiz
Marla, Me and Gaby taking pics of the gorgeous chef dishes. Always snapping photos aren’t we?!
Ahhh, the ever so famous Cafe Du Monde. Before I went to New Orleans, EVERYONE said you must get beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I don’t drink coffee, but I hear their coffee is a must order as well. It’s a small outside coffee shop with powdered sugar all over the floor. You can see why by the looks of those beignets. Very charming indeed and how can you go wrong with a fried piece of goodness covered in powdered sugar?
Happy girl with my beignets 🙂
The New Orleans School of Cooking
We also had the pleasure of watching cooking demo’s from Chef Ann at the New Orleans School of Cooking. The food was outstanding!
On the left is Ann the cooking instructor who was the cutest sweetest grandma you’ll ever meet. On the right is Dan serving up the grub. We could come up and help ourselves….and even have seconds 🙂
Photo via Amanda
Maggy and I snapping some serious photos, lol!
Photo via Amanda
Me, Maggy and Amanda at the cooking school 🙂 We enjoyed Corn and Crab Bisque, Crawfish Etouffee, Banana’s Foster and Homemade Pralines….which I have the recipe for you!!
How to Make Homemade Pralines
Equipment
- Stove
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups pecans roasted
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and bring to a “softball stage” (238-240 degrees F), stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Stir until mixture thickens (again stirring constantly), becomes creamy and cloudy, and pecans stay suspended in mixture. Spoon out on buttered waxed paper, aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- *When using waxed paper, be sure to buffer with newspaper underneath, as hot wax will transfer to whatever is beneath.
- Options: Praline sauce (add 1/2 cup corn syrup to mixture). Chocolate covered praline candy. Flavored pralines (chocolate, coffee, brandy, etc.)
Notes
Nutrition
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Stay tuned for more New Orleans Adventures and more recipes!
To see the full list of bloggers who I was with click HERE
Welcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! 
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I made the pralines and they are fabulous! Only one thing I changed… I put the praline mixture on top of bite-size gram crackers- really good!
What fantastic photos, Jenny. It looks as though you had a ball!
Awesome photos!!! I haven’t been back to NO since Katrina & Rita hit us… It’s looks beautiful!
What lens are you useing? it looks massive.. also what lens hood.. Thanks for sharring 😉
Looks like you had so much fun!!
This sounds like such a great trip!
Ok I have had this on my Bucket List and you made me decide it is the next stop THANK YOU for the beautiful food tour!!
I have a free give away on my blog that I would love to share!
http://stehanie32.blogspot.com/2011/06/lee-farms-giveaway.html
This looks like an awesome trip! I’ve never been to New Orleans but always hear good things about the food and sights there. Alligator though? That one I might have to pass on 🙂
What a fun trip!
You’re wonderful photos have me longing for my hometown of New Orleans today. Glad to see you were brave enough to try some of our frog legs! Kinda weird at first, right? 🙂 How about fried alligator? or our boiled crawfish? Hope you got to taste those New Orleans favorites as well! New Orleans is a colorful city with alot of heart. So glad you enjoyed your visit!
I’m a long time lurker but I had to comment on this post – New Orleans is my home town and your post captured it perfectly. Next year you should consider going to Breaux Bridge for the crawfish festival – that’s a blast!
This was soooo much fun to read! I love that you & Amanda (two of my favorite bloggers) came to New Orleans!! I was born & raised in Baton Rouge & my sister lives in New Orleans. I am SO GLAD you had the Cafe Du Monde Beignets!!! 🙂 YUM!
My sister recently told me to tell a friend to try Camellia’s Grill. I personally have never been. Will definitely go next time, the omelette looks delicious!
Thanks for sharing a little bit of Orleans with us–photos and pralines.
I’m glad that you had such a nice time here! I have yet to make my way Uptown to Sucre, but I hear that it’s great! I don’t know what I’d do without Camellia Grill! I was so excited when it finally reopened after Katrina. The food is delicious! Your pictures are wonderful and I like the praline recipe. Every should have a good praline recipe under their belts! LOL!
Your photos have me wishing I had a trip planned for New Orleans! I’ve never been, but your descriptions of the food offerings make it sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing your experience!
How exciting for you! New Orleans is a place I dream of going just for the food! Thanks for sharing the photos. I will be dreaming of beignets tonight!
And here I thought all New Orleans had to offer was great football (Go Saints!) and party beads 😉 The photos are lovely – I can’t wait to go there some day!
Wow that sounds so fun! I love your camera! And, of course, those pralines look wonderful.
What an experience! I have only been to New Orleans once (IACP conference) and agree, Cafe Du Monde is a must see! The beignets were delicious! Your photos are beautiful, as always!
Thanks for the praline recipe…my husband was in New Orleans for a business trip a couple of years ago and brought some back for us (along with a ‘gator head and voodoo doll for our boys). They were devoured too quickly and were oh so good with my morning cup of coffee. I’ll have to try this!
Yay Jenny!! Big smiles over here, this recap post is amazing!! Gosh you sure know how to capture events girl. A praline recipe too? Smitten. See you soon 🙂
Sounds like an incredible trip, Jenny! Gorgeous.
We loved the Camilia Grill when we were in New Orleans last August. And those beignets were to die for! Glad you had such a good time!
Yes, Camillia’s Grill was for sure a highlight 🙂 Hope to bring my husband back one of these days!
So much fun! I enjoyed watching your adventures on Instagram 🙂
How awesome is Instagram?! I love it Kristen, lol!
I had cooking class with Chef Ann when i went to NOLA, SOOOOO much fun!!
I miss New Orleans! Camellia Grill is one of the places I still have yet to try. It looks amazing 🙂
Isn’t Chef Ann the best?! Cutest little lady ever!
Looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos:-) The praline recipe sounds delicious!
Those pralines really were amazing!!
Thanks for the pralines recipe and the PHENOMENAL photos of you and everyone!!
I would love love love to be on a trip with you, Amanda, Marla, Gaby, Matt and everyone. THat would seriously be the highlight of my year I think 🙂 I can only imagine the stories 🙂 and the fun you all are having.
And love the pics of bloggers being bloggers with your big 24-70mm lenses out in full force 🙂
Thanks for your kind words Averie, this was the best trip I have been to. Everything was just perfect!
Oh wow, those photos look amazing!!! I’ve never been to New Orleans, but it’s on my list and I’m hoping to get over to America in the next 3 years… and I’ll have to make time to get to Cafe Du Monde for those beignets!!!
Yes, you must go!! Even just for the beignets 🙂
When I was little, and good at picking favorites….pralines and cream ice cream was my first choice and absolute favorite. I’d forgotten that until I read this post. If I had an ice cream maker, and could eat dairy, I would totally be making praline icecream for desert tonight. 🙂 Oh well, it’ s good to have something to look forward to right…I’ll just do that for now. :l
What a sweet story! Hope you enjoy those pralines!!
Aw these are such great pictures! I went to New Orleans about 6 or 7 years ago so I think I’m overdue a trip back and these pictures make me want to go back even more!
I wanna go back to Kathryn, well when it cools off there 🙂 The humidity was brutal!
I attended a class at that cooking school while I was in NOLA last summer and had a great experience as well. So glad you enjoyed your time there!
They were so great at the cooking school. Loved it!