Sweet Southern Staple: Healthy Charleston Pecan Pie Praline Recipe
By admin
Y’all… if you have never had a pecan praline, you are missing out! They are flippin’ the best thing ever and I’m pretty sure that just thinking about them as made my slight southern drawl go full blown southern redneck.
It’s totally worth it.
While I can walk away from most southern foods… the fried chicken, the biscuits and gravy, the grits… there are a few I can not turn my back on:
Lowcountry Boil (to die for)
Charleston Oysters (oh that slight taste of salty pluff mudd, I love you)
Okra
Local Peaches
And of course…
Pecan Pralines.
Filled with chewy caramel, butter, chocolate, pecans and who knows what else, these things are amazing. Cashew pralines are also the bomb, but keeping with the REAL praline, we’re sticking to pecans today.
I love them. Everyone I know loves them… well, except my freak of a husband. He doesn’t like caramel or pecans. #ClearlyNotASoutherner
Perhaps its because I am cutting sugar, but for some reason pralines have been on my mind. I don’t even eat them often, but once the craving hits, it’s there to stay until it’s filled.
I refuse to go off my nutrition plan right now, so my little brain got to thinkin’
“How could I make these babies good enough to fill my craving without bringing disgrace to my southern family?”
With these…
Pecan Pie Pralines
Here’s a side story about these pralines…
My dad isn’t exactly the biggest fan of healthy cooking. If he knows things are “off” he automatically decides he’s not going to like it. He’s the test I have to pass when making treats.
Because of my current nutrition parameters, I took all of the pralines (except for the ½ of one I ate) to my parents’ home. I figured my niece would love them as would my mom and brother. But I was nervous about my dad.
Man, he dove in and and LOVED them! Whoo!
With two thumbs up from the man that doesn’t eat modified food, I knew I had to share this recipe.
Make it! Make it this week. Show your co-workers, friends, significant other that you care by presenting with a plate of these.
Ingredients
1.25 Cups Dates, Soaked
1 Egg White
2 Cups Pecans, Halves
1 Scoop Chocolate Protein
⅓ Cup All Natural Peanut Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Coconut Oil
2 Tbsp Milk
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees.
In a blender, blend everything EXCEPT pecans until smooth,
Fold in pecans with a spoon until evenly coated.
Use a spatula to “blop” praline mix on a non-stick baking sheet. Each should be around 2-3 inches wide.
Bake for 6-8 minutes until bottoms are slightly golden.
Remove from oven, allow to cool enough to handle. Place in freezer or fridge for 15-30 minutes before enjoying.
And Voila! That’s it. Easy, right? Yes, so easy anyone could do it, making it a great family dessert.
Go for it and let me know what you think!
One final thought… I shared this on Instagram already, but if you’re wondering how to pronounce the word “pecan” its…
Pea-cAn.
Two clear syllables and the a makes a lowercase “a” sound. It’s cool to say pecOn if you want, but please PecAn Praline for the food. When a southern person meets someone from the north (or vice versa) there will be a test on how each person says this word. lol.