I’m not allergic to nuts (much), but my husband has a pretty significant reaction (like near-death), so I steer clear all time. There’s no reason for someone to die just because I kissed them after having a PB&J. But, there are things I’ve definitely missed. Mostly candied nuts. Like pralines. I love pralines. Used to work in a factory that made them and I still love them. And last weekend, I was desperate. So, I found a way to get my fix with these awesome Nut-Free “Pecan” Pralines. Seriously, this is so cool I can’t even.

I wasn’t intent on making the pecan pralines at first–I was just making some Toffee Ice Cream, you know, for our weekly watching of the Force Awakens (heh). When an accident kind of happened–and pretzels spilled all over my cooling toffee. I pulled a bit of pretzel off and OMG! But I went on with my evening. Enjoyed my movie and ice cream. Then, a little wine. And off to bed.

However, my brain kept cranking (as it’s prone to do–does yours?). So, the next morning, I had to try it for real. I spent a few minutes making the toffee…and carefully crunching-up the pretzels then unceremoniously tossing them on top of the toffee while it was cooling. And, thus the Nut-Free “Pecan” Pralines were born.

Buttery (even though there’s no butter), sweet, nutty (even though there’s no nuts), and crunchy in a way that leaves me so excited…I feel like I struck gold. For reals. This is definitely a rival for my “favorite dessert” (especially after a big fajita dinner with a margarita chaser–heh).

Nut-Free “Pecan” Pralines

Nut-Free "Pecan" Pralines

Name: Nut-Free "Pecan" Pralines
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup Earth’s Balance non-butter buttery spread business, mmmm….; 2 tspns vanilla extract; ½ tspn salt; 1/2 bag pretzels, I used gluten-free so that my pralines were gluten-free, too

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

I found a way to get my fix with these awesome Nut-Free "Pecan" Pralines. Seriously, this is so cool I can't even.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Earth’s Balance non-butter buttery spread business, mmmm….
2 tspns vanilla extract
½ tspn salt
1/2 bag pretzels, I used gluten-free so that my pralines were gluten-free, too

Instructions

Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Set aside.
Place all ingredients, except pretzels, into a small pot over medium heat.
Stir.
When it’s all melty, keep stirring.
Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir.
Forever, stir.
And some more.
When it turns a soft brown, keep stirring.
Ok, if your arm falls off, you can totally take a break–to re-attach the arm, then keep stirring.
Stir while it’s boiling.
Stir for about 20 minutes. But be careful of your spoon--I melted mine and had to start over fresh.
Then pour it on the pan with the parchment paper.
Place your 1/2 bag of pretzels into a bowl and crush them into large bits (don't crush them in the bag because then you can't manage the size of the bits as well).
Drop your crushed pretzels across the top of the toffee and gently pat them down.
Set the pan in the fridge for about 10 mintues or until the toffee is hard.
Remove and break as you start to chow down!

Before you run out to the store to grab the ingredients for the Nut Free “Pecan” Pralines, go ahead and pin this, so you can get back to it asap.

I’m totally DYING to know how your Nut-Free “Pecan” Pralines turn out! I am totally going to re-purpose this recipe–and the idea of using the pretzels instead of nuts–in SO MANY ways. Drop me a line in the comments below to let me know how yours turn out…or find me on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you!