This Dr Pepper Peanut Pralines recipe is amazing! It is my number one shared and requested recipe on Mothering with a Purpose. If you love Dr Pepper or peanuts, then you are going to love this peanut praline recipe with Dr Pepper.

 

One of my favorite candies to eat as a little girl were pralines that my parents would purchase at the local grocer. When we lived near Dallas when I was younger we usually only got these treats during Christmastime. Once we moved to the Hill Country the summer before my sixth grade year my brothers and sister and I got these delectable treats more often. I don’t know if it was because they were more plentiful or if it was because my mother got them straight from the confectioner–all I know is that those pralines were especially good.

The memory of peanuts in my Dr Pepper had me wondering how pralines might taste if made with Dr Pepper and peanuts. So, seeing as I had never made a praline before, I set out to find a recipe that I might be able to change to accommodate my craving for Dr Pepper and peanuts. I got it right the first try.

Dr Pepper Peanut Pralines

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar (use Imperial brand for authenticity)
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Dr Pepper
1/4 heavy whipping cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 T butter (real, no substitutions)
1 1/2 c peanuts, shelled (you can use roasted, salted, unsalted, whatever you like)

Directions

Over medium high heat in a heavy three quart saucepan, mix together the sugars, Dr Pepper, heavy whipping cream, and baking soda. Stir frequently. As the mixture heats up it will foam, so stir to break down the foam or remove briefly from heat to allow the foam to die down. Once the mixture reaches 210 F on a candy thermometer (or a very thick syrup), add the butter and continue to stir frequently for about two minutes.

Add the peanuts all at once and stir to combine the mixture. At this point it is necessary that you stir as little as possible and very sparingly, if only to keep the peanuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you don’t, your praline will come out grainy. The mixture will thicken and darken once it nears the soft ball stage or at about 230 F.

Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon for eight minutes, until the mixture thickens. Spoon out on foiled-lined baking sheets and allow to cool for fifteen minutes. Makes about ten pralines.

Enjoy!