Chocolate Covered Praline Chews Recipes

CHOCOLATE-TOPPED PRALINES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and have a tablespoon-sized cookie scooper ready.
• Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, butter and baking soda to a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally, until the sugars are dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pot and continue to cook until the mixture reaches between 235 to 240 degrees F. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Add the pecans, vanilla and salt and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the candy begins to dull and the mixture starts to thicken, about 4 minutes. Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds with the cookie scooper onto the prepared baking sheet (see Cook's Note). Cool completely until set and the pralines have reached room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Add the chocolate chips to a heat-resistant metal or glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water and stir until completely melted. Remove bowl from the heat. Using a spoon, add a dollop of chocolate on the top of each of the praline mounds and use the back of the spoon to spread slightly and create a swirl in the chocolate. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt, if using. Let cool completely until set (see Cook's Note). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator with wax paper between the layers of pralines.

CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray .
• Remove 3 tablespoons from the ½ cup of chocolate chips and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine both sugars, the cream, the butter, and the salt over medium heat. Stir until the sugars and butter dissolve. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and insert a candy thermometer .
• Continue to cook without stirring until the thermometer reaches 240 F. Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the candy from the heat, take out the thermometer, and immediately add the pecans and the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
• Begin to stir the candy vigorously. The chocolate will melt and the candy will start to get lighter in color and more opaque. Continue to stir until the candy starts to hold its shape. It should still be easy to stir, however. It is important not to stir too much, as pralines quickly go from fluid to rock-solid.
• Once it is a lighter, opaque brown and holds its shape, quickly begin to drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Work quickly to form the candies, as the pralines will start to set in the saucepan.
• If the candy stiffens before you're done scooping, add a spoonful of very hot water and stir until it loosens, then continue scooping until you have formed all the pralines.
• Place the reserved 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave them until melted about 40 seconds.
• Scrape the melted chocolate into a small zip-close bag and cut off the corner. Drizzle melted chocolate over the pralines in a decorative pattern.
• Place the pralines in the refrigerator to set the chocolate, about 15 minutes.
• Store chocolate pralines in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Enjoy!

TEXAS CHEWY PRALINES

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil.
• Coat with nonstick cooking spray.
• (I have found that using Release aluminum foil works better).
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugars and corn syrup.
• Heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted.
• Gradually stir in cream.
• Return to heat.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 242 degrees F (116 degrees C).
• Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and pecans.
• Drop by spoonful onto prepared pans.
• Cool completely, then wrap each piece individually with plastic.

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper.
• In a heavy 3 quart saucepan combine sugar,brown sugar,cocoa and light cream.
• Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture boils.
• Reduce heat to low,cook stirring occanionally to 234 degrees (soft ball stage).
• Remove from heat.
• Add butter and vanilla.
• DO NOT STIR.
• Cool at room temperature to 160 degrees.
• Add pecans,Beat with wooden spoon just until mixture begins to thicken (about 1-2 minutes) but is still glossy.
• Quickly drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
• Cool.
• Store covered.

CHRIS GARGONE'S CHOCOLATE CHEWS

Steps:

• 1. Set racks at the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
• 2. Place the chocolates and butter in a bowl or the top of a double boiler and place over hot, not simmering, water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have melted. Cool.
• 3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until lightened. Whisk in the chocolate mixture and vanilla.
• 4. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
• 5. Drop tablespoon-size cookies onto the prepared pans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are slightly firm and cracked.
• 6. Cool in the pans.
• SERVING.
• Chews are so rich, they are best on their own. Or try making them half size and serving them with ice cream for a really rich treat.
• STORAGE.
• Keep chews at room temperature in a tin or tight-lidded plastic container, or freeze them, packed between sheets of wax paper, for longer storage.

CHOCOLATE CHEWS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in corn syrup and cocoa; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla, 2 cups confectioners' sugar and milk powder. (Mixture will be stiff.), Turn out onto a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Knead in remaining confectioners' sugar; knead 3-4 minutes longer or until stiff. Divide into four pieces and roll each into an 18-in. rope. Cut into 3/4-in. pieces. Wrap each candy in cellophane or waxed paper. Store in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED MARZIPAN AND WALNUT PRALINES

Steps:

• Knead marzipan with 3/4 cup powdered sugar, chopped walnuts, rum, and maraschino liqueur on a clean work surface until smooth.
• Sprinkle remaining powdered sugar on a clean work surface. Roll out marzipan and cut out circles, squares, or rectangles.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and set a wire rack on top.
• Place 3/4 of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining dark chocolate until smooth.
• Stick a toothpick or metal skewer into each praline and dip into the melted chocolate, letting excess drip off. Set onto the wire rack. Allow chocolate to set a little, then place 1 walnut half on top of the chocolate.
• Allow chocolate to harden completely. Store pralines in airtight containers.

CHOCOLATE PRALINES, MEXICAN STYLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir white sugar, light brown sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup, and cocoa powder in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup reaches 220 degrees F (104 degrees C) when measured with a candy thermometer. A small amount of syrup dropped into cold water should form a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in marshmallows, vanilla extract, butter, and pecans, beating the candy by hand until creamy and the candy begins to to set up slightly at the edges of the pan, about 10 minutes.
• Drop the warm candy by teaspoons onto the parchment paper; allow room for pralines to spread slightly. Cool the candy thoroughly before serving.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Make cream puffs:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
• Spoon pâte à chou into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe about 55 mounds onto baking sheets, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds. With a finger dipped in water gently smooth pointed tip of each mound to round puffs. Bake puffs in upper third of oven 10 minutes, switching position of sheets in oven halfway through baking if necessary. Reduce temperature to 400°F. and bake puffs 20 minutes more, or until puffed and golden. Let puffs stand in turned-off oven 30 minutes. Transfer puffs to racks to cool. With a skewer poke a 1/4-inch hole in bottom of each puff. Puffs may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Recrisp puffs in 400°F. oven 5 minutes and cool before filling.
• Make filling:
• In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat pastry cream until just smooth and soft enough to fold in heavy cream (do not overbeat). In a chilled bowl with cleaned beaters beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks and fold in praline powder. Fold whipped cream mixture into pastry cream. Chill filling, covered, about 1 hour, or until cold.
• Fill cream puffs:
• Transfer filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain top and barely fill each puff (do not overfill), putting filled puffs in a shallow baking pan.
• Make caramel:
• In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar and water and bring to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water to dissolve any sugar crystals until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup over moderately high heat, without stirring, until it begins to turn pale caramel. Still without stirring, gently swirl syrup in pan (so that it colors evenly) until it begins to turn golden caramel and remove from heat. Caramel will continue to color slightly off heat and will thicken as it cools. As caramel begins to reach thickness of corn syrup, return pan to a burner at lowest possible heat, using a flame-tamer if necessary, and keep warm (do not simmer).
• Assemble croquembouche:
• Line a tray with wax paper. Working quickly with 1 cream puff at a time, impale bottom of each puff on tip of a small serrated knife and carefully dip top in caramel, leaving bottom 1/3 inch uncoated (to facilitate handling) and letting excess drip off. (Be extremely careful when working with hot caramel.) Set puff, coated side up, on prepared tray. When all puffs are coated, center 3, touching to form a triangle, on a cake-decorating turntable. Form a ring of 9 puffs around triangle and, working with 1 of the 9 puffs at a time, carefully dip 1 edge into caramel, letting excess drip off, and affix puffs to one another in a tight ring around first 3 puffs. Dip bottom of a puff in caramel and center it over middle of first 3 puffs. Working with 1 puff at a time, carefully dip 1 edge of each puff into caramel, letting excess drip off, and build a second, slightly smaller ring on top of the first using 8 puffs (if necessary adding an additional puff in center to stabilize ring), making sure each puff is glued with caramel to the one before it.
• Build on top of first 2 rows 4 more rings of 5 puffs each in same manner, always building from inside out with an additional puff in center as support.
• For top of croquembouche build 1 layer of 3 puffs and top with 1 puff. Let caramel harden 5 minutes and loosen croquembouche from turntable with a spatula. Transfer croquembouche with hands to a platter.
• Slip 5-inch-wide bands of wax paper under edges of croquembouche to protect from caramel drips. Remove caramel from heat and cool to thickness of molasses, 2 to 3 minutes. Dip tip of a small spoon in caramel and drizzle caramel decoratively over croquembouche. (Alternately, all puffs may be dipped in initial caramel and put in a shallow serving bowl without being molded into a cone shape.) Let caramel harden and remove wax paper. croquembouche is best served as soon as possible but may be made up to 12 hours ahead and chilled but not covered.
• To serve croquembouche, lightly shatter caramel cage with back of a knife and dismantle, 1 puff at a time.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED ALMOND PRALINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees, about 3 minutes.
• Add toasted nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to crystallize, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar forms a thin, sandlike coating on nuts, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool for 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly.
• Working in batches, sift nuts in a colander to remove excess sugar, and transfer nuts to a large bowl. Add chocolate, stirring to coat nuts completely. Pour mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and separate clusters into individual nuts using a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Toss pralines with cocoa in a large bowl, tapping off excess. Fill 75 mini baking cups with 4 pralines each.