Bring mixture to a boil and continue stirring while scraping the bottom
of the saucepan
with the spoon so the mixture does not burn. It will begin to thicken
and will become sort
of creamy. Check the mixture with the candy thermometer and at
210°,
ADD the BUTTER
and PECAN PIECES and continue cooking until the temperature
reaches the 'soft ball stage'.
This will be
234°on the candy
thermometer and at this point remove from the heat and
STIR
in the VANILLA..
Allow to cool about 2 minutes. Begin beating the mixture with
a large spoon to incorporate
air into it. It will lose its gloss and become thick and creamy,
becoming hard to stir.
Drop 2 inch mounds onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Do this
quickly as the mixture will
start setting up and will be hard to handle. If it thickens and
is hard to work with, immerse your
saucepan into a larger pan that has hot water in it. In a couple
of minutes, the mixture will soften
back up and you can resume making the 'drops'.
After the pralines have cooled, store in an airtight container.
YIELD: 2 DOZEN PRALINES (2 inch)
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