These pralines roses or French pink pralines are a delicious sweet treat from Lyon in France. With just four ingredients they are a cheap and impressive no bake dessert.
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These French pink pralines are simply gorgeous. Roasted or natural almonds are coated in layer upon layer of colored caramelized sugar. They are pretty as a picture and make excellent homemade gifts for Valentine's Day, Galentine's day, Christmas, or any other special occasion.
Looking for more pretty in pink desserts? Why not try making my floral rose ice cream or strawberry crunch cheesecake cones with gorgeous strawberry roses, Pretty and delicious!
Recipe tips and frequently asked questions:
What is praline rose?
Praline rose, also known as pink praline, Lyonnaise candied almonds, rose praline or red praline, is a type of pink sugar-coated almond from Lyon in France.
They are extremely popular and eaten on their own as a sweet snack or used in baking such as the ubiquitous tarte aux pralines (pink praline tart) or brioche aux pralines (brioche with pralines), as well as cakes, biscotti, mousse and even crushed and sprinkled over ice cream, yum!
Why is praline pink?
French pink pralines are pink due to the addition of red food color when candying the nuts and coating them in caramelized sugar. This can be added at just the first step or all the coating steps, usually three in total, depending on how strong you want the pink color. But why pink? One story is that an 18th-century Lyonnaise pastry chief was inspired by rose gardens and tinted his pralines a similar pretty pink as the pink roses. True or not it makes for a good story and adds to this hugely popular sweet treat in Lyon.
What is a praline in France?
In France a praline is an almond that's been coated in caramelized sugar.
Why are they called pralines?
There's some debate about the origin of the word, but is generally considered to be derived from the Duke of Plessis-Praslin, whose Master of the house, Lassagne, is thought to have invented or discovered these sugar-coated nuts sometime in the 1600s. Lassagne later retired to Montargis and opened a confectioners shop, Maison de la prasline (which still exists and sells praslines!). Over time Praslin is believed to have become praline. Recipes from praline in France in one form or another are believed to have been around since about this time.
What is a praline in America?
French pralines are not to be confused with American pralines. French settlers are thought to have brought pralines to Louisiana sometime in the 1700s where the sweet treat evolved. Almonds were replaced with pecans which were readily available and cheap. Louisiana sugar or brown sugar was added, and milk, cream or butter to thicken the mix. , plentiful pecans replaced almonds and cream or buttered was added, thus becoming American cream-based pralines, sometimes referred to as New Orleans praline.
This is all not to be confused with Belgian pralines, which are different again. The original caramel-coated nuts once ground up were referred to as pralin and mixed with chocolate to become chocolate praline. In Europe praline can sometimes mean the nut powder that's used to fill chocolate, or the filled chocolates themselves.
Where to by pralines roses
Other than the original Maison de la prasline pralines roses are readily available in Lyon, France, especially along the historic Rue Saint Jean. If you are not poping to Lyon anytime soon you can sometimes find them online from the usual shopping giants such as Amazon (check your local country to see if they have them or can ship to you), Qualifirst in Canada or France at home in Australia (disclaimer none of these links are sponsored in anyway, I just did some digging on the internet and this is what I found. I have not personally ordered this product from any of these stores).
Can I make half or double the recipe?
This recipe makes about 4 cups (680gms) of pink caramelized almonds. You can easily half the recipe but you will need to watch your sugar and nuts closely as the cooking times will be shorter.
I don't recommend doubling this recipe at the same time. You really need to shake and stir the nuts well to get an even coating and prevent the sugar from burning. Even with a bigger pan this would be difficult and to tip out the nuts quickly. If you need to make more you could start a production line, coating two batches of nuts to start with, cleaning up and then starting the second coat etc. You need to wash the pan between each coating so you will end up doing a lot of washing up!
Can I make these without red food color?
The red food color gives these candied nuts their signature pink color, without which they would not be the same. You can try experimenting with more natural color but I haven't personally tried this. If you are going to experiment keep in mind whatever you use has to handle the high temperatures of the sugar work, so up to at least 359°F (126°C).
Are pink pralines vegan?
Yes, provided the red food color you use does not contain any cochineal or other animal products these pink pralines are vegan.
Ingredients
Natural almonds: almonds are the traditional nut in these pralines. To save time you can buy roasted almonds and skip the roasting step. This recipe also works with other types of nuts, but very small nuts like peanuts might be hard to work with.
White sugar: regular white sugar or castor sugar is fine for this recipe. You can not substitute with any other sugars as this will affect the color and crystalizing of the nuts and they may not work out.
Red food color: gives these candied nuts their signature pink color.
Rosewater extract (optional): some rose water extract adds some lovely floral notes to these rose praline. I have tested this with both rose water and rose water extract. The latter gives a better, stronger flavor. You can use regular rose water if that is all you can get, but the flavor won't be as strong.
You can use vanilla essence or orange water instead, or leave it out altogether for unflavored nuts.
How to make Pralines Roses
See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C/160°C fan-forced). Spread the nuts on a baking tray and roast for five minutes. NB: If you are using roasted almonds you can skip this step.
First sugar coating
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Measure 2 teaspoons of rose water and put it next to the stove and have something heatproof you can rest the candy thermometer and wooded spoon on.
Add â…” of a cup of the sugar (180gms), â…“ of the water (40mls) and seven to ten drops of food color the pan. Heat on high, stirring stirring stirring until all sugar dissolves.
When rapid large bubbles form add the nuts. Pour the rosewater over the top, taking care of any steam that comes on. Leave the pan on the heat and gently shake and stir, shake and stir and shake and stir. Keep shaking and stirring. After a few minutes the sugar will start to crystalize.
Keep shaking and string and scraping the bottom of the pan with the spoon, mixing the nuts gently over and over until the sugar forms fine, sand-like crystals and coats the nuts. There should be no moisture left. If the sugar starts to clump and forms large grains it's starting to go too far and you need to get off the heat straight away and tip them onto the prepared tray.
You can see on the bottom right picture here I am right on the edge of this point with larger grains just starting to form. I could have taken these off a few seconds earlier.
Remove from the heat IMMEDIATELY and tip onto the prepared baking paper.
Hot tip: it's important to take the nuts far enough but not too far. Keep moving the nuts until the sugar is fully crystallized. This will help get an even sugar coating on the nuts. Once done, remove from the heat and tip out. If you leave the pan on at this point the sugar will start to melt again and burn quickly.
If you just catch the sugar at the edge of the pan starting to melt again get the nuts out FAST and they should be OK, otherwise you may need to ditch the whole lot and start again.
Get the pan into some warm water straight away. You can leave it to soak for a few minutes while you measure the ingredients for the next step. Clean and dry your pan and spoon.
Hot tip: How do I get the sugar off the pan??
Once you have tipped out the nuts fill the pan with hot water. The sugar should soak off within a couple of minutes or else need some gentle scrubbing. If the sugar has caught or burnt you will need to apply more elbow grease and scrubbing with a scrubber that is suitable for use on the type of pan you are using.
Second sugar coating
Once the nuts have cooled a bit separate out the nuts and put them aside. Put the leftover pink sugar into a bowl. Have your lined tray, 2 teaspoons of rose water, the first lot of coated nuts, clean dry shallow pan and candy thermometer nearby.
In a separate medium saucepan put â…” of a cup of the sugar (180gms), â…“ of the water (40mls) and seven to ten drops of food color the pan and any leftover pink sugar that did not stick to the nuts on the first coating. Heat on medium heat, string welling to dissolve the new sugar and as much of the pink sugar as you can. Put in the candy thermometer. Keep stirring the sugar.
Once the temperature gets to about 176 °F (80°C) put the shallow pan on medium heat to heat up. When the temperature of your sugar hits about 248°F (120°C) add the coated nuts to the clean shallow pan to preheat the nuts. Continue to stir the sugar mix. Once it reaches 355°F-359°F (124°C - 126°C) add the rose water, taking care of any steam that comes up. Mix in well and then quickly pour the syrup over the warmed nuts in the shallow pan, scraping out the sugar syrup from the pan.
Mix the nuts very well, taking care to stir the syrup so it coats the nuts and shake the pan as needed. Once again the syrup will crystalize over the nuts. This can happen quickly, keep gently stirring until the nuts are well coated and the sugar is dry and stops crystalizing. When the sugar just starts to come OFF the nuts instead of sticking them they are done. Tip them onto the prepared baking tray straight away.
Hot tip: have the pan on MEDIUM and don't put them into until just before the syrup is ready or you risk burning the nuts. The sugar needs to be dry and crystalized. Once the sugar just starts coming off the nuts instead of sticking to it, remove the nuts and spread on the lined tray. Its important to keep gently string and turning over the nuts to get an even sugar coating and prevent them sticking together.
Gently break up any nuts that have stuck together. Clean the shallow pan, spoon, saucepan and candy thermometer in warm water. Once the nuts have cooled a bit separate out the nuts and put them aside.
Third sugar coating
Repeat the process for the second sugar coating to coat the nuts a third time.
Allow to cool completely. To prolong the shelf life of the nuts and make them crispier you can put them onto a lined tray and dry them out in an oven at 158°F (70°C) for 45 mins. (NB my oven is fan-forced and only goes as low as 212°F (100°C). I dried the nuts for 45 mins at this temp and it worked fine, but at 248°F (120°C) the sugar melted off).
How to serve
To serve pop into a bowl and enjoy! They are incredibly moreish so they might not last more than one sitting!
How to store
These pink sugared almonds can be stored for up to two weeks in a cool dark place away from heat and humidity IF you can stop yourself from eating them for that long (doubtful). For longer shelf life you can dry out the nuts in the oven to crisp them up as per the last step. They should last for several weeks if you do this.
Can candied nuts be frozen?
Yes to freeze these nuts allow to cool completely, then transfer to an air-tight container. They will keep for up to two months in the freezer.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
Looking for more yummy dessert recipes?
Why not try making
- Red Velvet Ice Cream
- Raspberry Chocolate Mousse
- Chocolate Red Velvet Cake
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Tartlets
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📋 Recipe
Pralines roses (pink pralines)
Equipment
- 1 large shallow non stick or stainless steel pan.
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 baking tray and baking paper
- 1 candy or cooking thermomenter that goes upto
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (250gms) natural almonds
- 2 cups (4440gms) white sugar, divided into three (â…” cup or 180gms each)
- ½ cup (125mls) water, divided into three (40 mls each)
- 6 teaspoons rose water, divided into 2 teaspoons each (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C/160°C fan-forced). Spread the nuts on a baking tray and roast for five minutes. NB If you are using roasted almonds you can skip this step.
First sugar coating
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Measure out the rose water and put it next to the stove and have something heat proof you can rest the candy thermometer and wooded spoon on.
- Add â…” of a cup of the sugar (180gms), water and seven to ten drops of the red food color to the pan. Heat on high, stirring until all sugar dissolves. When large bubbles form add the nuts.
- Pour the rosewater over the top, taking care of any steam that comes on. Leave the pan on hight heat and shake and stir, shake and stir and shake and stir. Keep shaking and stirring. After a few minutes the water will have evaporated and the sugar will starts to crystalize.
- Keep shaking and string and scraping the bottom of the pan with the spoon, gently mixing the nuts over and over until the sugar forms fine, sand like crystals and coats the nuts. There should be no moisture left. If the sugar starts to clump and forms large grains its just about gone too far and you need to get off the heat straight away and tip them onto the prepared tray.
- Remove from the heat IMMEDIATELY and tip onto the prepared baking paper.
- Get the pan into some warm water straight away. You can leave it to soak for a few minutes while you measure the ingredients for the next step. Clean and dry your pan and spoon.
- Once the nuts have cooled separate them out and put them aside. Put the leftover pink sugar into a bowl. Have your lined tray, measure out rose water, the first lot of coated nuts, clean dry shallow pan and candy thermometer nearby.
Second sugar coating
- In a separate medium saucepan put in â…” cup sugar (180 grams), water, food color and any leftover pink sugar that did not stick to the nuts on the first coating. Heat on medium heat, string welling to dissolve the new sugar and as much of the pink sugar as you can. Put in the candy thermometer. Keep stirring the sugar.
- Once the temperature gets to about 176 °F (80°C) put the shallow pan on medium heat to heat up. When the temperature of your sugar hits about 248°F (120°C) add the coated nuts to the clean shallow pan to preheat the nuts.
- Continue to stir the sugar mix. Once it reaches 355°F- 359°F (124°C - 126°C) add the rose water, taking care of any steam that comes up. Mix in well and then quickly pour the syrup over the warmed nuts in the shallow pan, scraping out the sugar syrup from the pan. Mix the nuts very well, taking care to stir the syrup so it coats the nuts and shake the pan as needed.
- Once again the syrup will crystalize over the nuts. This can happen quickly, keep gently stirring and shaking the pan until the nuts are well coated and the sugar is dry and stops crystalizing. When the sugar just starts to come OFF the nuts instead of sticking them they are done. Tip them onto the prepared baking tray straight away.
- Gently break up any nuts that have stuck together. Clean the shallow pan, spoon, saucepan and candy thermometer in warm water.
Third sugar coating
- Once the nuts have cooled a bit separate out the nuts and put them aside and put the leftover pink sugar into a bowl. Repeat the process for the second sugar coating. Once the sugar stops sticking to the nuts remove from the heat immediately and tip onto the lined tray.
- Allow to cool before eating.
Notes
- If you don't like rose water you can use the same amount of orange water instead i.e. 2 teaspoons per step, or a quarter of the amount of vanilla extract i.e. ½ teaspoon per step. Or for unflavored nuts you can leave it out entirely.
- Have everything ready at the start of each step, once you start you will need to work quickly.
- For the best results you need a candy thermometer that will go up to at least 359°F (126°C). You can try making it without the thermometer but you risk under or overcooking the sugar syrup and them either not setting or burning.
- To prolong the shelf life of the nuts and make them crispier you can put them onto a lined tray and dry them out in an oven at 158°F (70°C) for 45 mins. (NB my oven is fan-forced and only goes as low as 212°F (100°C). I dried the nuts for 45 mins at this temp and it worked fine, but at 248°F (120°C) the sugar melted off).
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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