Chocolate-Covered Almond Pralines
- Comments()
- Prep Time 25 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Yield Makes 75 small servings
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole almonds (13 ounces)
- 1 cup sugar
- Salt
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
-
Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees, about 3 minutes.
-
Add toasted nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to crystallize, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar forms a thin, sandlike coating on nuts, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool for 30 minutes.
-
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly.
-
Working in batches, sift nuts in a colander to remove excess sugar, and transfer nuts to a large bowl. Add chocolate, stirring to coat nuts completely. Pour mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and separate clusters into individual nuts using a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
-
Toss pralines with cocoa in a large bowl, tapping off excess. Fill 75 mini baking cups with 4 pralines each.
Cook's Note
Pralines can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature (75 degrees or lower; refrigerate if higher) for up to 2 weeks.
This recipe is awesome and got rave reviews from all who tried them! I used Valrhona Manjari 64% for the chocolate and Valrhona cocoa powder. I would not toast the almonds for 15 minutes, I think they will burn. I did 11 minutes and they turned out perfectly. I will make these again for sure. A great holiday gift too.