Easy Pralines

Blackberry Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2 and 1/2 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup ***(I used Karo Dark)***
* 1/2 cup salted butter ***(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)*** at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup pecan pieces OR 1 cup pecan halves ***(Halves are fancier, but also more expensive.)***

## Directions

* Before you start, get out a 4-quart saucepan and spray the inside with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Make sure to spray the sides of the saucepan. Get out your candy thermometer. Place the thermometer inside the saucepan with the sliding clamp on the outside. Slide the thermometer through the clamp until it's approximately one-half inch from the bottom of the pan. ***(If the bulb touches the bottom of the pan, your reading will be wildly off.)***
* Take the candy thermometer out of the pan, making sure you don't move the sliding clamp. You'll be attaching it again later.
* In the saucepan, on a cold burner, combine the buttermilk, white sugar, baking soda, and dark corn syrup. Stir the mixture until it is smooth.

**Hannah's 1st Note:  If you do this step ahead of time and let everything come up to room temperature in the saucepan, it will take only 3 minutes or so to come to the boil and you'll cut your standing at the stove and stirring time in half.**

* Turn your burner on MEDIUM HIGH heat. STIR the candy mixture CONSTANTLY until it boils. ***(This will take about 6 minutes if you decided NOT to let the ingredients come up to room temperature, so pull up a stool and get comfortable while you stir.)***
* When the mixture boils, move the saucepan to a cold burner, but don't turn off the hot burner. You'll be getting right back to it.
* Add the butter to your candy mixture and stir it in. Stir until the butter is melted.
* Carefully attach the candy thermometer to the pan again, making sure it hasn't moved up or down from its earlier position. Wiggle it slightly to make sure it's not scraping the bottom of the pan.
* Slide the saucepan back on the hot burner and watch it cook. STIRRING IS NOT NECESSARY FROM THIS POINT ONE. Just give it a little mix when you feel like it. Pull up a stool and relax. Enjoy a cup of coffee while you wait for the candy thermometer to come up to the 240 degree F. mark. ***(240 degrees F. is the soft ball stage in candy making.)***
* When your thermometer reaches 240 degrees F., give the pan a final stir, turn off the burner, and remove your saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. ***(This could sputter a bit so be careful.)***
* Let the pan cool on a wire rack or a cold burner for 10 minutes. ***(If it's a hot day and it's hot in your kitchen, you'd better give it 15 minutes.)***
* While your candy cools, lay out sheets of wax paper on a cutting board or a bread board. Then sit down and relax until the cooling time is up.
* When your praline mixture has cooled the required number of minutes, beat it with a wooden spoon until it loses its glossy look and thickness. ***(My candy took approximately 5 minutes to reach this stage.)***
* Quickly stir in the pecans.
* Use a tablespoon from your silverware drawer to drop the Easy Pralines on the wax paper. Don't worry if your pralines are not of a uniform size. Once your guests taste them, they'll be hunting for the bigger pieces.

Yield:  2 dozen of the best pralines you've ever tasted.

**Hannah's 2nd Note:  Andrea adores this candy. She asks me to make it for her every Christmas. Michelle likes it too, but she wants me to substitute a teaspoon of maple extract for the vanilla extract. She's made it that way and she says it tastes a lot like the candy we used to get from Canada that was shaped like little maple leaves. Mother loves this candy, but she wants me to try dipping it in melted chocolate. That's doesn't surprise me. Mother is a confirmed chocoholic.**