Today I'm working on the nuts for tomorrows iron cupcakes. I'm making pralines for a brown sugar pound cupcake. I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe from the FoodNetwork.com.....these little babies are very tasty.

Pralines

courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

1/2 pound light brown sugar (I ended up with 1 cup and 1 Tbsp)

pinch of salt

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix sugar, salt, milk and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Stir in pecans and cook over medium heat until mixture reaches the soft ball stage. (234-240 degrees F on candy thermometer; if you sppo a drop of boiling syrup in to a cup of ice water, it will form a soft ball that flattens easily between your fingers.) remove pan from heat and stir rapidly until mixture thickens. Drop pralines by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets; let cool completely until firmed up. Store in airtight container. Yield: about 1 dozen ( I got 2 dz, because I made them smaller).