Pink Praline - French Pink Pralines
Specialties of the Lyon region in France, pink praline or rose praline, are almonds coated with caramelized and colored sugar. Follow this 5-ingredient French Pralines recipe to make a real gourmet pleasure - a crisp pink treat!
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 lb. (700 g) 1x
- Category: No-Bake Desserts
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Scale
- 8.8 oz (250 g) toasted almonds
- 2 tsp (10 ml) orange flower water (optional)
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
- 4 fl. oz. (120 ml) water
- red food color
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, place one-third of sugar (3/4 cup/150 g), pour one-third of water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml), and add a few drops of red food color. Stir well with a wooden spatula and bring to a boil. Once large bubbles start forming, add whole almonds.
- Immediately, low the heat to medium, add orange flower water as a flavor and continue to stir constantly. The red sugar syrup will begin to crystallize; keep stirring to coat the nuts thoroughly. Once the sugar stops adhering to almonds, the nuts will look covered with pink powdered sugar. Transfer almonds onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and allow to cool. Collect the remaining pink sugar for the second stage of cooking. Clean up the pan and wooden spatula with water and dry with a paper towel.
- Place almonds in a medium-sized pan and set aside. In a small saucepan, place one-third of sugar (3/4 cup/150 g), one-third of water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml), the remaining pink sugar, and a few drops of red food color, and allow to melt. Bring to a boil and cook until the temperature reaches 255 F/124 degrees C (use a cooking thermometer).
- Bring the pan with almonds over medium heat, pour the syrup over nuts, stirring at the same time. Once almonds are coated well and look like they are covered with pink sugar, transfer nuts onto parchment again. Separate nuts and pink sugar. Clean up the pan and utensil again.
- Repeat the last step one more time, using the remaining ingredients. Add red food coloring, if necessary.
Notes
- Wear a shirt with long sleeves to protect your forearms during pink sugar coating.
- To toast almonds, place nuts on a baking sheet and toast at 300 F/150 C for 15 minutes.
- Add red food color to the second and third stages of cooking, if necessary. If the color is enough, omit food coloring (I add 7 drops of red food coloring to each cooking step).
- Switch orange flower water for rose water, if you prefer, or make Pink Pralines unflavored.
- Clean up the pan and wooden spatula between each step. To facilitate the process, pour some water into the pan and bring it to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Dry utensils before use.
- Use a smaller pan for the second and third stages of cooking, layering nuts in a single layer and helping coat nuts better.
- Follow the same recipe and experiment with toasted hazelnuts, or mix almonds with hazelnuts, if you prefer.
- If you have a 160 degrees F/70 degrees C oven temperature regimen, dry out pink praline for 40 to 50 minutes. This step is optional but prolongs the shelf life of pink nuts.
- Store in a cool, dry place between 60 to 64 F (16 to 18 C).
- To pack as a gift, use a paper-based bag or a gift box. Try to avoid packaging these candies in plastic or zip-top bag.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 70 g
- Calories: 313
- Sugar: 41.6 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.4 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 5.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg