Pecan Praline Cups
If you’ve ever been in the Southern part of the United States, it’s likely you’ve at least seen Pecan Pralines, if not actually enjoyed one. They are often for sale at check out counters of local businesses.
I remember as a kid, always wanting my mom to buy one when we saw them for sale in a local store.
Pralines actually first came to America from French chefs in the 1700’s but were originally made with almonds. When almonds weren’t easily available in Southern states, locals swapped them out for Pecans because of the abundance of pecan trees that grow wild in many parts of the South. Thus, the Pecan Praline became an icon in the sweet world.
This version of the classic, is made in a mini muffin pan & is made with much healthier ingredients than traditional versions you’ll find for sale in sweet shops & stores. Those versions usually use corn syrup & some form of milk. I’ve swapped the milk out for coconut butter & the sugar is minimally processed maple sugar which is much better for you than corn syrup or highly processed white sugar. If you can’t do dairy, the ghee/butter can be swapped for a non-dairy butter as well.
With just 6 simple ingredients, I am sure you are going to love this melt-in-your-mouth version as much as the store bought ones you’ve had in the past!
Pecan Praline Cups
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup ghee or butter, solid *
1/2 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup coconut butter, packed firmly into measuring cup
1/4 cup chopped pecans + 12 pecan halves
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
*can use solid non-dairy butter substitute like this one
DIRECTIONS
measure out all ingredients first as this process moves very quickly once you start.
place the ghee, maple sugar & coconut butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. begin whisking constantly as soon as you see the butter melting (your arm is going to get a workout). continue whisking until all the ingredients are completely combined. if you stop whisking, the butter will separate & you will not be able to get it to solidify. this often happens if the heat is too high or you stop whisking.
once the butter, sugar & coconut butter is completely combined smoothly, remove it from heat & immediately whisk in the vanilla extract & salt. then stir in the pecan pieces.
evenly divide the mixture into a 12 count mini muffin pan lined with these muffin liners. place one pecan half on top of each pecan praline cup.
I recommend you refrigerate 4 hours before serving, but if you need to speed this process up, you can refrigerate 1 hour, then set a timer & put the pecan praline cups in the freezer for 30 minutes.
store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.