praline

American  

[prah-leen, prey-, prah-leen] / ˈprɑ lin, ˈpreɪ-, prɑˈlin /

noun

1. a French confection consisting of a caramel-covered almond or, sometimes, a hazelnut.

2. a cookie-size confection made especially of butter, brown sugar, and pecans: developed in New Orleans in the early 19th century.

3. a similar confection of nuts mixed or covered with chocolate, coconut, maple sugar or syrup, etc.

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praline British  

/ ˈprɑːliːn /

noun

1. a confection of nuts with caramelized sugar, used in desserts and as a filling for chocolates

2. Also called: sugared almond.  a sweet consisting of an almond encased in sugar

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Etymology

Origin of praline

1715–25; < French; named after Marshall César du Plessis- Praslin (1598–1675), whose cook invented them

Explanation

Praline is a sweet candy made from pecans and a whole lot of sugar. A fudgy, cream-based kind of praline is especially popular in the southern part of the United States. Officially, praline can refer to any confection that combines nuts and sugar. The original pralines were made in 16th century France and named after the nobleman whose cook invented them, coating almonds with caramelized sugar. European pralines are also commonly ground up and used as a filling in cookies and cakes. French settlers in Louisiana swapped almonds for pecans and thickened their praline with cream, a confection that remains popular today.

Example Sentences

Cake fillings of almond crunch and toasted pecan praline and candied lemon, while jackfruit and palm sugar bring distinct South-East Asian flavours.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

They include its wild rose vinegar -- priced at 235 kroner for 250 millilitres -- its pumpkin-seed praline spread and mushroom cooking sauce.

From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025

Hers is a labor-intensive process, teasing out the dough, lathering on the praline filling, and then letting the cakes rest and rise for several hours.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Caramel Brûlée Latte — Typically my #2 behind chestnut praline, this one also was a bit disappointing when enjoyed amongst all of the other drinks.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2022

Keep the praline powder in a close preserve jar ready for use.

From The Century Cook Book by Ronald, Mary