After the Dance Pralines

I love to collect recipes and among my favorites are pralines.

When I was young and living at home, my Aunt Clara , who was also Nita's grandmother, would visit. We children only got to know two of our parent's families; one of mother's brothers and Aunt Clara, my father's sister in-law.         When Aunt Clara came for a visit, she would cook things for us and our favorite was her pralines.

Many years she sent us a box at Christmas. For each of us five kids there was a neatly wrapped gift. She always sent my brother, Albert, a large box of pralines. He would give each of us one, then he hid the box. None of us ever found his hiding  place.  I make pralines at Christmas time in memory of my Aunt Clara because she was such a wonderful and loving person. I always wanted to be like her. My granddaughters love them too and look forward to them.

When I ran across the praline recipe, I decided to send it in. I thought it was a candy recipe. Not true, it is a cookie recipe.

It is not only a real easy recipe it is an old one and so good. Almost everyone wants the recipe when they taste them. I hope you like it, too.

 

This beloved Louisiana confection got its unusual name from the tradition of young women in New Orleans making them before going to a ball and then enjoying them with friends and beaux afterwards.

  

After The Dance Pralines         

 

Preheat oven 400° 

1 cup of packed brown sugar   

1 egg white beaten stiff

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans lightly toasted

 

Stir together brown sugar and egg whites, and fold in chopped pecans. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a foil covered baking dish sheet.

 

Turn off oven and let pralines stand 8 hours in oven. Try not to open oven.

 

I find the cookies are ready in 4 1/2 to 5 hour. I then put them in zip lock bags.