This is the time of year to make great cookies, candies and pies, and for at least a week or two, forget about calories and bathroom scales. Besides, and as everyone knows, fattening foods during the holidays are exempt from weight gain.
One of my favorite holiday, luxury foods is Praline Grahams, irresistibly rich and decadent and – best of all – they’re easy to make.
Pralines – of course – are a Cajun specialty made basically from nuts, sugar, cream or butter and with a number of regional variations. I’ve never had a bad one, but these – made with Graham Crackers – certainly fit the bill and I could eat a bucket of them.
Begin by snapping and positioning Graham Crackers on a cookie sheet. I like the Honey Grahams, but regular Grahams work as well. Fill up the cookie sheet as best you can, even breaking apart crackers to squeeze them in.
Heat ½ C packed brown sugar and 1 stick unsalted butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then allow it to cook 1 minute without stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 t vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the grahams immediately and use a spatula to quickly spread across the crackers. Next, scatter 2/3 C chopped (not whole) pecans over the grahams. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes, remove and sprinkle 2 pinches of salt over the batch. Let cool, break apart and really celebrate the holidays. Praline Grahams
40 graham crackers about 10 perforated sheets
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2 pinches of salt
