# My pralines came out too hard



## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

My pralines came out too hard, they are like pecans inside rock hard candy.

What did I do wrong?

The sugar/water mixture is suppose to be heated beyond the hard crack stage, correct?


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

you over cooked the sugar..

*"Cook until the mixture reaches 239 degrees with a candy thermometer. If you don't have a candy thermometer, bring it to the soft ball stage."*


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Thank you, that it what I thought.

The cookbook I have is incorrect and says to take the sugar past the hardcrack stage and bring it close to 375deg.


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

never trust a cookbook. I find many times there is a LOT of misleading information in them. 

Makes me feel that they do it on purpose ...lol ( or maybe I'm just paranoid? lol)


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

I find that too, lol, its like do they even try these recipes before they publish them?


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## taptapper (Dec 23, 2006)

Paul Prudhomme has a great tip in one of his early books: when the mixture makes strings on the side of the bowl it's ready (I use the cook, cool and beat method). I have always tested temps, and the only perfect pralines I've ever made have been when I stopped at his "string" stage. I'll see strings and still have the wrong temp, keep going to the correct temp, and have a failure. But every time I stop at strings I have a sale-able product.

-From "Not a candy maker but loves a good Praline" Pat


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