Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar (use Imperial brand for authenticity)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup Dr Pepper
- 1/4 heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 T butter (real, no substitutions)
- 1 1/2 c peanuts, shelled (you can use roasted, salted, unsalted, whatever you like)
Preparation
Step 1
Over medium high heat in a heavy three quart saucepan, mix together the sugars, Dr Pepper, heavy whipping cream, and baking soda. Stir frequently. As the mixture heats up it will foam, so stir to break down the foam or remove briefly from heat to allow the foam to die down. Once the mixture reaches 210 F on a candy thermometer (or a very thick syrup), add the butter and continue to stir frequently for about two minutes.
Add the peanuts all at once and stir to combine the mixture. At this point it is necessary that you stir as little as possible and very sparingly, if only to keep the peanuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you don’t, your praline will come out grainy. The mixture will thicken and darken once it nears the soft ball stage or at about 230 F.
Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon for eight minutes, until the mixture thickens. Spoon out on foiled-lined baking sheets and allow to cool for fifteen minutes. Makes about ten pralines.
Enjoy!