Chocolate Praline Pecan Cookies


Looking for a decadent cookie to serve at your next get together? This chocolate dipped praline pecan cookie recipe will surely impress your guests! The #SweetSquad is on the case and we’re adding something extra delicious to these praline pecan cookies!

Chocolate praline pecan cookies! EASY to make with just 4 basic steps!

As some of you know, we went to New Orleans earlier this year where we visited the Audubon Zoo, dined on Bourbon street and even went on a swamp tour to see aligators! Of course, pralines are a southern favorite and we got some pralines while we were in New Orleans. Katie even brought a big box of pralines back for her co-workers. Needless to say, I’ve been inspired…

Pecan pralines are a nice treat to serve, especially around the holidays. But, spinning your ordinary pralines into chocolate dipped praline pecan cookies with M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies? This recipe is off the hook!

Praline Pecan Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

Begin by rounding up all of your ingredients…

Praline Pecan Cookies Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2 tbs water
  • 3/4 cups chopped pecans
  • 1 8oz bag of DOVE® Milk Chocolate candies
  • Optional: M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies for toppings (whole and crushed/chopped)

Also, you may want to use a candy thermometer. It’s not completely necessary, but will greatly increase your chances of making perfect pecan praline cookies.

Directions

The directions can boil down to 4 simple steps (pun intended). See the complete recipe below for more details, cook times, temperatures and all that fun stuff.

  1. Combine, stir and boil ingredients in a pan
  2. Add pecans, stirring until thickening occurs
  3. Drop mixture onto parchment paper
  4. Dip into chocolate and top M&M’s® candies

Praline Pecan Cookies Recipe

With that in mind, let’s dive into some of the details of our chocolate praline pecan cookies. Begin by combining the sugars, half and half, butter and water in a sauce pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil and stir as indicated in the recipe card below.

Cook until the mixture reaches 238º on your candy thermometer. This is also called “soft ball” temperature – my thermometer, which is a cheap-o one, has a soft ball temp marking right on it which makes it a snap!

Praline Pecan Cookies RecipePro Tip: If you don’t have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount of the mixture into cold water. If it forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface, it’s ready. AKA the soft ball temperature — get it?

Once you reach the soft ball temperature, add the pecans, remove the pan from the stove and get stirring. If you’re using M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies, reserve them, crush some and add them on top of the cookies once they’re on the cookie sheet. While the pecan pralines are cooling, crush up some M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies. You’ll add these to the top of your cookies after they’ve been dipped in chocolate.

The Key to Praline Pecan Cookies

You must spoon the pralines onto the parchment paper at the right time, otherwise they’ll be too runny or too clumpy! Aside from the proper cooking temperature, this step holds the key to the perfect pralines.

Once removed from the heat, you want to stir the pecan praline mixture quickly for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the candy begins to thicken and the pecans become ‘suspended’ in the mixture. Too runny and your pralines will spread too thin, too thick and your pralines will be clumpy. I found that tilting the pan and stirring was the best way to judge the runnyness of the mixture – yes, runnyness! 🙂

Praline pecan cookies with M&M's Pecan Pie candies

Once your mixture is just past runny and beginning to thicken, spoon the pralines onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Optional: add M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies to the top of each cookie as you spoon the mixture onto the cookie sheet.

Allow the pralines to completely cool before prepare your melted chocolate. Grab a bag of DOVE® Milk Chocolate candies, we’ll use about half a bag for one batch of praline pecan cookies.

Chocolate Dipped Praline Pecan Cookies

Dip the pralines half way into the chocolate, place them back on the parchment paper and sprinkle the cookie with crushed M&M’s® Pecan Pie candies. Do this for each cookie. Once the chocolate has had a chance to set, serve them up!

Praline Pecan Cookie Recipe

Chocolate pecan praline candy cookies are easy and straightforward to make. It does take some time and patience, but it is SO worth it! Take your time, make them right, don’t rush it  and you’ll have amazing praline candy cookies wrapped in milk chocolate that everyone will love!

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Pecan Cookie Pralines

Praline Pecan Cookies for all occasions!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/2 stick butter 4tbs
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
  • 1 8 oz bag of DOVE® Milk Chocolate candies
  • Optional: replace 3/4 cups of pecan halves with M&M's® Pecan Pie candies

Instructions

  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, for cooling the cookies
  • Combine sugar, brown sugar, half and half, butter and water in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.
  • Stir continually until the mixture reaches 239 degrees
  • Add pecans, remove from heat and stir like a mad-man for 2 minutes (use a wood spoon if you have one!)
  • Once the pecans are staying "suspended" in the mixture, spoon pralines onto your parchment lined cookie sheet.
  • Optional: Add M&M's® Pecan Pie candies to the top of the pralines on cookie sheet
  • Allow to cool completely

Chocolate for Dipping

  • Use about 4 ounces of DOVE® Milk Chocolate candies; microwaving at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until melted
  • Dip cooled pralines into the chocolate mix
  • Option 2: Sprinkle crushed M&M's® Pecan Pie candies onto the dipped cookies before the chocolate cools
Author: Scrappy Geek
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French/American

How To Melt DOVE® Milk Chocolate Candies

Unwrap and place the chocolates into a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds, stir and repeat – microwaving on 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until the chocolates are melted.

Note: No need to over do it, just melt it until it’s runny, your last interval may only be 10 or 15 seconds.

What’s your favorite cookie recipe?

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