Identification

• Pralines appear in a similar shape as a cookie, though they are not completely rounded because of the way the mixture naturally falls. They have a medium brown color with lumps of nuts throughout.

Ingredients

• Pralines are made from simple ingredients, including sugar, brown sugar, cream, butter, a bit of vanilla and pecans.

History

• Pralines originated in France, where they were made from single almonds in the 18th century. When the recipe was brought to New Orleans, a handful of pecans replaced the single almond.

Significance

• Pralines became an important product in New Orleans during the mid-1800s, when the black women of the city found that selling them offered an easy way to make money when few other opportunities presented themselves.

Consistency

• Pralines come in various consistencies. These range from a creamy, fudge-like consistency to something harder and chewy, more along the lines of toffee or hard caramel.