Praline Recipe | Small batch Cashew Praline
What is Praline?
Praline is the delicious and crunchy thing you find in butterscotch ice-cream and over butterscotch-flavoured desserts.
The recipe that I’m sharing with you today can be used for topping ice-creams or used in cakes which ask for “butterscotch nuts” or in desserts where you need that extra crunch like on top of vanilla ice-cream to amp it up.
Butterscotch Nuts/Praline is basically caramelized sugar + nuts.
You need to caramelize the sugar very carefully in order to avoid burnt caramel. It takes only a minute extra for that to happen. So work on this when you have some quiet time.
Also, praline is something that is made without a single drop of water. We dry heat the sugar so it loses it’s solid state, caramelizes and turns into a brown liquid.
This process opens up a box of flavours that sugar has which we cannot taste without caramelizing it.
Dry Caramel v/s Wet Caramel
This praline recipe is based on dry caramelizing the white sugar i.e. we do not use a single drop of water to make the praline. Wet caramel is made by caramelizing sugar in presence of water. Read more about it here.
Try my other popular recipes:
How to make Butterscotch Praline with Cashews?
You can technically use any dried fruit to add in the praline or even a mix of all: Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, etc.
Any hardened dried fruit will work. Do not use raisins of any variety.
Step 1: Toast the nuts
Toasting the nuts gives a nice aroma and increases the flavour of the nuts and in turn, of the praline. This step is completely optional though but I like to toast the nuts before adding them to the caramel.
Step 2: Get your plate/baking tray ready for pouring hot praline
A minute extra in the pan may burn your praline. It is important to take it off heat as soon as the entire batch of sugar turns brown. So line any baking tray/steel plate with parchment to transfer the praline.
Step 3: Measure and heat the sugar
Measure and transfer the sugar into the pan and keep the heat on low-medium. It will take few minutes for caramelization to happen and you need to stir the sugar with a silicon spatula to avoid burning.
Keep stirring the sugar until you see the sugar melting and specs of brown color forming. Once browning starts, mix very gently with the spatula ONLY ONCE and let the entire batch of sugar turn brown. Be cautious at this stage as we need to act quickly.
Step 4: Caramelizing of sugar/Add the nuts and butter
Once you see the entire batch of sugar browning, immediately stop stirring and add the nuts and butter. It will sizzle a bit in the pan but mix quickly only once with the spatula until the nuts are coated in caramel. The more you mix, the bitter the caramel will become.
You can optionally add a pinch of salt to the praline at this point but it is not necessary.
I could not take pictures of the caramelization but will upload soon as it will help you understand the process properly.
Step 5: Transfer the hot caramel a.k.a praline to the cooling tray
Remember the tray we had lined with parchment in step 2? You need to transfer the hot praline to this tray and spread evenly. Just make sure all nuts are coated with the caramel. This is very important. Your praline is ready! Let it cool for 15-20 minutes.
Step 6: Crush it coarsely
You can eat the praline straight after it cools down from step 5. But if you intend to use it in making butterscotch cake or to sprinkle over ice-creams, you will need to make a coarse powder of it. Let us see how to do that.
Use a hammer and an extra sheet of parchment to cover the praline and start breaking it. Break it coarsely and ensure there are no large pieces in the mix.
Sprinkle over desserts!
Your butterscotch praline is now ready to be sprinkled over ice-creams, cupcakes and for making butterscotch cake or anywhere you need that extra nutty crunch packed with a caramel flavor.
This praline recipe is a small batch recipe and can be doubled or tripled. Just remember the time for caramelization will increase with the quantity of sugar.
Easy Cashew Praline Recipe
Praline Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup White Sugar
- 10-15 Cashews (toasted)
- ½ tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Chop and toast the cashews for 10 minutes at 180°C. You may use them without toasting as well but toasting gives it a nice flavor. Let them cool.
- Line a plate/baking tray with parchment paper to transfer the hot praline from the pan. Avoid using aluminium foil.
- Measure the sugar and transfer it to a light colored pan so you can see the caramelization happening.
- Heat the pan on low-medium heat and keep stirring the sugar. Once you see specks of brown color, stop stirring with a spoon or spatula. If you keep stirring your praline will be bitter.
- Once the entire batch has browned evenly, add the butter and the nuts and transfer the mixture to a parchment paper. The mixture will harden as it cools.
- It is time to crush the praline into a powder. Place a sheet of parchment paper and use a hammer to lightly crush the praline. There is no need to pulse it in a grinder as a hammer does the job equally good.
- Your Cashew praline is ready to be used on top of ice-creams, for decorating butterscotch cakes and on anything where you love this flavor.
Notes
- Be careful of handling hot caramel as it can burn your hands if it gets on your skin. Always take enough precaution while transferring the praline to the tray.
- It can splutter a bit while you add the nuts and butter too. Remember to be careful.
- Do not taste the hot caramel to avoid burning your tongue.
Exercising Caution:
- Be careful of handling hot caramel as it can burn your hands if it gets on your skin. Always take enough precaution while transferring the praline to the tray.
- It can splutter a bit while you add the nuts and butter too. Remember to be careful.
- Do not taste the hot caramel to avoid burning your tongue.
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