Category Archives: baking

Apricot Pecan Rugelach

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rugelach_n

The tang of apricot, the crunch of pecan and the richness of cream cheese come together in this delightful, satisfying cookie.

This time of year puts our creativity to the test as our pantry begins to empty. Dwindling food stores bring to mind cooking shows where random ingredients are selected and presented to the contestants with the challenge to create something magnificent. My challenge ingredients were a bag of dried apricots, a bag of pecans and a desire to nosh on something sweet. I made the dough in the evening and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, the cookies were quick and easy to make. A quick batch was ready for an after-lunch dessert with mugs of freshly steeped tea.

Apricot Pecan Rugelach

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 tsp cinnamon mixed with 3 tbsp granulated sugar for topping

Directions

  1. Cream the cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
  2. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix well.
  3. Mix in flour on low speed. Mix until just incorporated.
  4. Divide the dough into two parts. Quickly roll into balls and flatten.
  5. Wrap each flattened ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  6. To make filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, apricots and pecans. Mix well.
  7. On a well-floured surface, roll each flattened ball of dough into a 9-inch circle.
  8. Spread half of the filling evenly on each 9-inch circle of dough.
  9. Press the filling into dough slightly, so it will roll easier.
  10. Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges. First cut each circle in half. Cut those halves in half. Cut all the quarters into three even wedges.
  11. Starting with outside edge, roll wedge toward middle, forming a crescent-type shape.
  12. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, point side down.
  13. Brush cookies with beaten egg. Sprinkle cookies with a little of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  14. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Cookies will be lightly browned.
  15. Let cool on a wire rack.

Mocha Toffee Bites

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mocha toffee_n

A coffee lover’s must! These coffee-infused chocolate cookies have a wonderful chewy texture with a surprise toffee crunch. Serve with a hot beverage or a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert.

After a very successful try at coffee-flavored ice cream, I had wanted to use coffee in other desserts, but to achieve a really rich coffee flavor, I learned that I had to steep a lot of beans. The problem is we had shipped up just enough beans for our required morning brew. So, coffee flavors were put on hold until a recent trip to Anchorage where I had an opportunity to pick up some organic coffee extract. I was hoping it would provide the same rich flavor as steeped beans. It did! Just one and a half teaspoons of extract turned really good cookies into great cookies. The addition of the toffee crunch sent the confection over the top. These cookies could be gussied up with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of melted chocolate. But those additions are unnecessary in an already perfect recipe.

Mocha Toffee Bites

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 tsp coffee extract
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1  1/2 tsp coffee extract
  • 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp dutch processed cocoa
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup English toffee bits

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together sugars and egg. Beat until smooth.
  4. Add vanilla and coffee extracts. Beat until well mixed.
  5. Add cocoa powder and salt, beat until well mixed.
  6. Mix in chocolate-butter mixture from double boiler.
  7. Mix in flour and baking powder.
  8. Stir in toffee bits.
  9. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined sheet, at least an inch apart.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes.
  11. Let cool for a couple of minutes on sheet. Then transfer to wire rack to completely cool.

Yield: about 15 cookies

Country-Style Apple Brioche

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Apple Brioche_n

Slices of this apple-filled brioche served with cups of freshly brewed French roast coffee sent our spirits overseas to a sidewalk table at a cafe in France.  

Baking projects tend to be inspired by a single ingredient. Last week, two students gave me the biggest Granny Smith apples I have ever seen. They were a little bumped and bruised and seemed to be begging to be baked into something sweet. I remembered an apple brioche recipe I had wanted to try in one of the cookbooks we have in our library, Beth Hensperger’s Bread. Brioche is an egg-and-butter rich pastry-type bread dough which can be used in both savories and sweets. It produces a soft, moist bread and the dough is easy to make and easy to work with.

Apple Brioche

Ingredients

  • 2 giant Granny Smith apples (or 4 regular-sized apples), peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1  1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 recipe chilled brioche dough (see below)

Topping

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/6 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp chilled unsalted butter
  • 1 egg, beaten

Directions

  1. Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Let sit for 1 hour, occasionally stirring.
  2. Place apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon in a heavy skillet and sauté until liquid is reduced and sugar is dissolved.
  3. Cool apple mixture to room temperature.
  4. Turn chilled brioche dough out to a lightly floured surface.
  5. Roll dough into a 10 x 15 inch rectangle.
  6. Spread cooled apple mixture down the center third of the dough rectangle.
  7. Cut strips 1.5 to 2 inches apart diagonally, almost touching filling.
  8. Starting at one end, fold strips over filling, alternating each side. You will have somewhat of a braided look when finished.
  9. Transfer bread to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  10. Make topping by combining sugar and flour until blended. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender (or food processor) until coarse crumbs are formed.
  11. Brush dough generously with beaten egg.
  12. Sprinkle topping on egg-washed dough.
  13. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at a cool room temperature until puffy and not quite doubled, about 40 minutes.
  14. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Bread will be browned and filling will be bubbly.
  15. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Brioche Dough

Ingredients

  • 2  1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup hot water (120 degrees F)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened

Directions

  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
  2. Add hot water and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Gradually add 1 cup more flour.
  5. When well-blended, add butter, a few pieces at a time.
  6. Gradually add 3/4 cup flour. Beat until thoroughly blended. Dough will be very soft and have a thick batter-like consistency.
  7. Scrape dough into a greased bowl.
  8. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 3 hours.
  9. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours. Can be refrigerated longer or frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Yummy Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers

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Cheddar Crackers_n

Warning: These crackers are highly addictive. 

Last year, I made graham crackers from scratch with excellent results. That success started a whole serious of “I-wonder-if-I-could-make…” questions. The graham crackers I made at home were far more delicious than any store-bought, boxed variety. Armed with the right recipe, it seemed anything made from scratch had to taste better. Time seemed to be the limiting factor. As wonderful as the graham crackers were, a batch of a dozen took quite a bit of time to create. Saltines? We use a lot of them for breading fried clams and fish, but it seemed like a waste to bake a batch only to smash them to bits for a single recipe. The next cracker I contemplated was Cheez-Its.

Cheddar cheese crackers are tiny, with lovely ridged edges and cute little holes. I researched several recipes and discovered that these tasty little snacks required only five ingredients and a couple of hours total, most of which is chilling time in the refrigerator.

We have noticed a huge difference in the flavor of our food when we use excellent ingredients. The addictive quality of these crackers came from the combination of high quality flour, cheese, and butter. The flour was Bob’s Red Mill unbleached all-purpose. Everything we’ve baked with this flour tastes noticeably better. The butter was Tillamook’s unsalted organic, and the cheese was Kerrygold Dubliner sharp cheddar cheese.

We’ve used these crackers as croutons on salads and can imagine they would be perfect alongside a homemade bowl of soup or chili. We may have to keep imagining this, as the crackers are disappearing by the handfuls!

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp ice cold water

Directions

  1. In a stand mixer (fitted with paddle attachment), mix cheese, butter, and salt on medium speed until well-incorporated.
  2. Add flour.
  3. Mix on low speed.
  4. Slowly add ice water. Dough should form into a ball.
  5. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Split dough in half.
  8. Roll one half into a rectangle, about 10 x 12 inches. Dough should be thin, about 1/8 inch.
  9. Use a fluted pastry cutter and cut dough into 1-inch strips. Cut strips into 1-inch squares.
  10. Place squares on baking sheets, they can be close together, but not touching.
  11. Prick center of each cracker with end of a pointed chopstick.
  12. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  13. Cool on wire rack.

Exceptionally Delicious Whole-Grain Bread

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Whole Wheat Bread_n

Moist, soft, flavorful and with a crunchy, hearty crust, this is easily the best 100% whole wheat bread recipe we’ve found – the quintessential “lightly toast and slather with butter” bread!

Far away from large grocery stores brimming with aisle upon aisle of reasonably-priced selections, we live a quasi-homesteading life here in Arctic Alaska. We stock most of our dry goods during our annual three-day shopping run in Anchorage in late summer. In late August, an order for spices goes out to Penzeys. Coolers jammed with salmon, halibut and rockfish fillets from the summer’s fishing come with us on the plane north – enough for us, and to reciprocate when we’re given caribou. Once we arrive in the village, we begin picking berries in earnest. We make our soups, chili, stews – and our ice cream – gallons at a time.

Our interest in self-sufficient living has led us to Mother Earth News magazine which we read cover-to-cover despite the fact that many of the articles don’t directly apply to our lives. Under the title Homemade Whole-Grain Bread: You Have to Try This Amazing Recipe, the December/January issue boasted a whole wheat “homemade bread you have to try.” We bake all of our own bread products and include mixed-whole-wheat-and-white-flour bread in our repertoire. But straight whole wheat? Past trials have come out dense and crumbly, so we were skeptical. However, our trust in Mother is high, and when they devoted five pages to the bread and included the science behind why this whole wheat loaf is different, our curiosity was piqued.

After finishing the article and discussing it, our conclusion was a shared, “That sounds like a lot of work for a loaf of bread!” Still, we’d sent up 25 pounds of Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour with every intention of feathering more whole wheat into our diet. So after procrastinating for a couple of weekends I decided to go for it.

As it turned out, the extra work is actually fun and quite satisfying. With two very successful loaves under my belt (in more ways than one), we both agree with Mother Earth News – this is an “exceptionally delicious whole-grain bread.”

I’ve simplified the directions for this post, but full credit for the following recipe goes to the staff of Mother Earth News. Their full-length article is highly recommended reading.

Exceptionally Delicious Whole-Grain Bread

Ingredients

Sponge:

  • 1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 3/4 cup cool water

Soaker:

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp orange juice

Final Dough:

  • all of sponge recipe
  • all of soaker recipe
  • 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • extra whole-wheat flour and water for adjustments

Directions

The day before baking, make the sponge and the soaker:

  1. Mix the sponge ingredients together to form a ball of dough.
  2. Knead for about 2 minutes.
  3. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Knead again for about a minute.
  5. Immediately cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  6. Mix the soaker ingredients together to form a loose, wet ball.
  7. Cover soaker dough and leave at room temperature for 6 to 24 hours.

The day of baking:

  1. An hour before making bread, remove the soaker from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
  2. Tear sponge into about a dozen pieces.
  3. Roll each sponge piece with a piece of soaker. Place bowl of a stand mixer.
  4. Attach dough hook.
  5. Sprinkle in 2  1/4 tsp of yeast.
  6. Mix on first speed for 2 minutes. Increase to second speed and continue mixing for 2 more minutes.
  7. Add in honey and butter. Mix for another 2 minutes.
  8. Let dough rest in mixing bowl for 10 minutes.
  9. On a floured work surface, knead dough by hand for a few minutes, add extra flour or water if necessary to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
  10. Form dough into a ball and transfer it to oiled bowl, turning ball to coat it.
  11. Let rise for 45 minutes. It should be 1 1/2 times its original size.
  12. Transfer dough to floured work surface and form it into a loaf to fit a 9″ x 5″ or 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan.
  13. Grease loaf pan and place dough into pan.
  14. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Dough should be 1 1/2 times its original size.
  15. While loaf rises, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  16. For most consistent heat, place baking stone on bottom rack and a cast-iron pan on top rack while preheating.
  17. Brush top of loaf with water.
  18. Slash top of bread down the middle or with diagonal cuts.
  19. Place loaf on stone in center of oven.
  20. Immediately add 1/2 cup of hot water to heated cast-iron pan (be careful of steam burns!).
  21. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees F.
  22. Bake bread for 20 minutes.
  23. Rotate pan in oven and add another 1/2 cup of hot water to cast-iron pan.
  24. Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes.
  25. Bread is done when top is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when thumped. Another method to check for doneness is the internal temperature of the bread is 195 degrees or more.
  26. Remove loaf from pan immediately and transfer it to a cooling rack.
  27. As tempting as the loaf will be, allow bread to cool at least an hour before slicing! 

Fresh Roasted Sweet Pecans

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Roasted Sweet Pecans_n

Lightly candied and oven roasted, these pecans are perfect for snacking, as a dessert topping, or savored on a fresh garden salad.

Our kitchen is always well stocked with pecans and almonds. They’re great plain, but sometimes it’s fun to gussy ’em up a bit. This easy recipe results in snack that goes as well on morning oatmeal as it does as the finishing touch on a fresh salad.

Sweet Roasted Pecans

Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2  1/2 cups pecans
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Combine egg whites, water and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer. Attach wire whip attachment.
  3. Whip egg mixture until really fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  4. Fold pecans into egg mixture.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix sugars and cinnamon.
  6. Fold in sugar mixture to pecan-egg mixture.
  7. Spread nuts evenly on parchment paper.
  8. Sprinkle sea salt over nuts.
  9. Bake in preheated oven for 60 – 75 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Nuts should be toasted and fragrant.
  10. Cool in pan. Stored cooled nuts in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

Pre-Workout Almond, Craisin, Chocolate, Honey Granola Bars

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Granola Almond Energy Bars_n

Soft and chewy granola bars packed with helpful protein and complex carbohydrates are a tasty, energy-packed pre-workout snack.

At this time of year, many people are re-tooling their workout program or starting a new one. Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, that part of life is no different. We mostly confine ourselves to the weight room and gym at our school for workouts. With typical days featuring windchill below zero, running means treadmill workouts. Jack likes running workouts on the treadmill. I am slowly becoming accustomed to them. Running gives us a little cushion in terms of burning calories so we can enjoy all the sumptuous meals we cook, and it keep us in shape for our active lifestyle.

The most convenient time for our workouts is after school – a time of day when we often need an energy boost. I thought about making some kind of cookie that was filled with nuts and raisins, envisioning something soft and chewy. I also wanted to use up some of the staples in our pantry. What resulted was a chewy bar stuffed with craisins, coconut, nuts, peanut butter and honey. A homemade version of sweetened condensed milk is the binding agent. We snacked on them before our workout today and thought they came out great: tasty and energy boosting!

I imagine that any dried berries or nuts could be used in this recipe. I’m already planning on baking up a few batches to take with us on our summer adventures hiking, fishing and boating around the Kenai Peninsula.

Granola Bars

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup chopped almonds
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup powdered non-fat milk
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • honey

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper. Paper should go all the way up the sides of the dish.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, cranberries, chocolate chips and coconut. Set aside.
  4. Using a blender, (I prefer an immersion blender), blend sugar, boiling water, and non-fat milk powder.
  5. Add butter and peanut butter to milk mixture. Blend until fully mixed.
  6. Add enough honey to bring liquid mixture to 16 ounces. Blend until fully mixed.
  7. Pour milk mixture into oat mixture and thoroughly mix.
  8. Press dough into baking dish.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes.
  10. Allow bars to cool for 5 minutes in pan.
  11. Lift bars out of pan by holding parchment paper. Set on a wire rack to continue cooling.
  12. Allow the bars to cool completely on parchment paper on a wire rack before cutting.
  13. Store cut bars in an airtight container.

The Galangal Experiment: Orange Pecan Galangal Scones

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Galangal, Pecan, Orange Scones

Scones are easy to make and always a favorite with a cup of coffee or tea.

Penzeys Spices is one of our grown up toy catalogues. Last spring, we pored over every page as we created a list of the spices and seasonings we thought we might want for the following year. During this perusal, a number of unfamiliar spices piqued our interest. One such item was galangal. Also known as blue ginger, galangal is indeed a member of the ginger family, but has a more intense, flowery taste not much at all like the ginger we’re familiar with. Perhaps cardamom is a closer comparison.

Recently, we came across a lemon-ginger scone recipe that seemed ripe for a makeover. In the following recipe, pecans and orange zest meld with the pleasantly flowery galangal to create a new classic. The yogurt gave the scone a moister texture that traditional recipes.

Orange Pecan Galangal Scones

Ingredients

Scone:

  • 2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp galangal
  • finely grated zest of one orange
  • healthy pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup orange juice

Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and galangal.
  4. Stir in sugar, salt and zest.
  5. Stir in pecans.
  6. Using wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in orange juice. Then stir in yogurt.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough until it comes together. Do not over-knead.
  8. Press dough into a circle, about one inch thick.
  9. Cut circle into 8 wedges.
  10. Arrange wedges on baking sheet so there is about 1 inch in between each one.
  11. Bake scones for 20 minutes. Scones will be lightly browned on the bottom and pale on the top.
  12. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.
  13. Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to make drizzle icing. Consistency should be like honey.
  14. To drizzle icing, fill  a pastry bag with a small tip or a small Ziplock bag with a corner snipped, or simply use a spoon. Drizzle icing evenly over scones.
  15. Serve warm or room temperature.

Fluffy Hamburger Buns

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Fluffy Hamburger Buns_n

Tempting to eat straight from the oven, these soft rolls are perfect for any savory filling. The dough can be shaped to accommodate big burgers, sliders, or even hot dogs. Most recently, we enjoyed them with barbecued turkey sandwiches made from Christmas dinner leftovers.

I first made these soft and delicious buns to go with Jack’s Bison Sloppy Joes with Roasted Bell Peppers.  They came out perfectly soft and fluffy with no trace of doughiness. I’ve since made variations by adding dried onions into the dough as well as different toppings, such as sesame seeds. This recipe is now the go-to recipe for buns in our home.

Perfect Hamburger Buns

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp extra light olive oil
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2  1/4 tsp yeast

Directions

  1. Place all the dough ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
  2. Set machine to dough setting. Start machine.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Turn finished dough onto a lightly oiled work surface.
  5. Knead for 2 – 3 minutes.
  6. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
  7. Take each piece and roll into ball using cupped hands.
  8. Place dough balls onto baking sheet.
  9. Flatten each dough ball into bun-size and shape. Dough balls should be about an inch thick.
  10. Cover with a cloth and let dough rise for 30 minutes.
  11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  12. Bake rolls for 12 minutes, or until tops are golden.
  13. Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Light, Crunchy Pecan Pralines

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Pecan Pralines_n

A yummy homemade gift or a favorite snack – either way, these pralines are easy to make and great to have around.

There is something particularly satisfying about making candy. Put the right ingredients together, add the right amount of heat, and suddenly chemistry takes over and a pot of nondescript stuff is transformed into an irresistible confection. It is magical. The process is especially satisfying when the creation results in “wow” or “amazing” accompanied by smiles from those who get to taste the samples. These Pecan Pralines will do just that. The following recipe, which uses sour cream, results in pralines that are especially light and crunchy.

Pecan Pralines

Ingredients

  • 1  1/2 cups pecan halves
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1  1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Pan toast pecans by continuously stirring nuts over medium heat for 3 minutes. They should start to emit a toasted scent and be barely browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
  4. Stir in sugars, salt, and sour cream.
  5. Increase heat to medium-low. Whisk ingredients until sugars have melted.
  6. Increase to medium high. Stir frequently until mixture reaches 240 degrees F.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  8. Let mixture cool for 2 minutes, then stir in pecans until they are fully coated.
  9. Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet.
  10. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes.

Adapted from Southern Sour-Cream Pralines.