𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 (Patreon)

today I'm giving you an easter egg recipe that's unbelievably tasty - my signature orange pecan pralines. 

these pralines have been a huge hit with everyone I've given them to and I'm sure if you decide to give them a try, your mind will be blown. the first time I tried this recipe, I couldn't believe my taste buds. the candy I have just "experimented" with tasted exactly like something I've had out of a super fancy box before, in Europe, where we take candy and chocolate very very seriously. and once you learn how easy it is to make them, you won't be able to resist the sweet temptation. 

you will need...

➸ 2 (14oz) cans of sweetened condensed milk
➸ the zest of 3 organic oranges
➸ 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
➸ about 8oz pecan halves
➸ about 3oz almond slices
➸ about 6oz chocolate candy melts

this recipe is for the smallest batch I recommend making as these really do disappear fast and you'll wish you had made more! in the pictures I am making a double batch. 

start by preparing the dry ingredients...

you want to toast the almonds and pecans lightly to bring out their aroma. not so much that their nuttiness overpowers the rest of the ingredients, but just a lightly golden sheen on about half of the nuts will do. 

you want to let them cool completely and then chop them about medium-fine. if you choose, you can save some of the halves to decorate the finished pralines at the end. it adds a nice visual touch but makes exactly zero difference to the flavor. 

the size of nut chunks you're going for is pictured above. you can chop them by hand or use a food processor, which is 100% what I did after staging this lovely shot. it is perfectly ok if they are uneven or even if the amounts aren't exact. this is a very forgiving recipe. 

shave off the zest of your oranges with the finest grater you have (short of the nutmeg grater, those are a bitch to clean). if you don't own a grater, you may also peel your oranges and chop the zest very fine. it it imperative in this step that the zest is as fine as possible - you want to add orange flavor, not bite into chunks of orange peel.

you want to heat your condensed milk in a pan over medium-low heat, constantly stirring with a spoon or spatula until it thickens into a candy-praline consistency. this will take a while so be patient. my double batch took me about 90 minutes. if the mixture starts to bubble, reduce the heat and take the pan off for a minute to cool down. the idea is too evaporate the condensed milk, not make caramel. do not let it burn or the sugar will crystallize and you will lose the smooth, chewy texture.

once it has reached the consistency of a thick syrup, you may add your nuts, orange zest and orange juice. it really doesn't take a lot of orange juice to achieve the right flavor. just a couple of tablespoons will cut through the sweetness and give the candy a lovely aroma. 

continue to stir until the mixture comes off the sides and sticks together. it should no longer spread to cover the bottom of the pan. 

you want to let this cool completely before shaping the pralines. 

to do that, simply scoop out 1/2 tbsp of candy mixture and roll them between your hands into little log shapes. you want to grease your hands for this process because the praline is very sticky. apply a generous amount of either melted butter or oil to you hands, but do make sure if you use oil that it doesn't have a strong flavor that could infuse into the praline. it is very likely that you will have to wash and re-oil your hands every 10-15 logs and that is ok. after about the first dozen, you will start to get the hang of it and roll more efficiently. 

roll all of your pralines before coating them in the candy melts. each of these steps will consume enough of your attention that you don't want to bring multi-tasking into this. 

to coat, melt your chocolate candy melts in a small pan over low heat and use two forks to roll the sticky praline logs around in the chocolate. 

then simply lay them onto a non-stick surface - wax paper and the matte side of aluminum foil work very well - and wait for them to set completely. if you are decorating them with the pecans you saved, cut them in half so you get one long quarter-pecan piece per praline and gently press them into the freshly coated logs before the chocolate sets. I think you can get away with coating 3-5 pralines before you have to worry about that. 

to speed up this process, you may line a few large plates with either wax paper or foil and stick them in the freezer for two minutes when they're filled up. after they have set, you can transfer them into a jar or tupperware and keep them in the fridge for, well, however long they last in your house. I promise you, they will be eaten faster than you expect!

these are such flavorful little treats that our friends can't get enough of. I hope you give these a try and share the joy and happiness of my orange pecan pralines with your loved ones. 

if you practice witchcraft, all the ingredients lend themselves very well to prosperity magic. I like to bless these treats to bring happiness and prosperity to my friends because they deserve no less. 

⛥ may sweetness fill your life as these pralines fill your tummy ⛥