Ingredients
- Tools needed:
- 1 disc of Mexican hot chocolate, such as Ibarra
- 2 oz. of unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 cups of pecans, 1 cup chopped and 1 cup whole
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest or 1 teaspoon dried orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Candy thermometer
- Parchment paper
Preparation
Step 1
In an oven set at 350 degrees, roast the pecans for 10 minutes.
In a large pot, melt together on medium heat the chocolates, sugars, pecans, milk, butter, cinnamon, orange zest, Cayenne and sea salt, stirring occasionally. Place a candy thermometer in the pot to monitor the heat. When it reaches 235 degrees, remove from fire and add the vanilla and stir the pot for two minutes. There should be a bit of shine to the candy but the candy will be a bit more thick.
Scoop pralines onto parchment paper. (If it’s too stiff, add warm water to mixture.) Let cool for an hour and remove. They will still be a bit shiny but will lose that shine after a few hours. No matter, they're still delicious!
Depending on how large your scoops may be, this makes about 20 pralines. They will keep for five days.
Note: If you want to add bacon to these, I’d fry up four slices, crumble them and stir into praline when you add the vanilla.