How to Make Almond and Hazelnut Praline

The perfect ingredient to elevate your desserts and sweets, and a delicious temptation—even for spoonfuls—this almond and hazelnut praline made at home will make your mouth water the moment you try it.

Praline is a spreadable cream made from roasted nuts cooked in syrup and caramelized, which are ground until a fine paste is obtained. In this case you'll see the nuts are of two kinds, almonds and hazelnuts, but you can make praline with a single type of nut in the same way.

Often, it is paired with chocolate, an ingredient that matches perfectly with nuts. The paste or cream you get, with that blend of cocoa and hazelnut or almond flavor, is a delicacy for any sweet you're going to prepare. (See below the recipe to learn how to make almond praline with chocolate).

You'll find that, although it may seem a little laborious, if you follow the steps carefully you'll achieve a delicious homemade praline that I recommend you store right away, because it will be your downfall!

And although it is traditionally a pastry ingredient, besides being perfect for filling chocolates, flavoring cookies, or adding to whipped cream or custard to create different desserts each time, it can provide an exquisite contrast when you prepare vinaigrettes for your salads.

How to use praline

Praline is a high-end pastry cream or paste, a delicacy for anyone's palate. Some of the most common uses of praline are:

• It is often used to prepare delicious chocolates and truffles;
• for making nougats;
• use that wonderful paste for filling sponge cakes and layered cakes, or for decorating them;
• for making homemade chocolates;
• to fill profiteroles mixed with a little whipped cream;
• you can enjoy it as-is on cookies or toast.
• for making mousses, both as a base and during their preparation.
• You can also stop limiting it to desserts, and use almond and hazelnut praline as a sauce, filling, or garnish in fish dishes and salads. That caramelized almond flavor can be the magic ingredient in countless recipes.

Let's get to the recipe to make homemade praline!

Ingredients

• 125 g raw almonds with skin
• 125 g raw hazelnuts with skin
• 250 g sugar

Preparation

1. Spread the almonds and hazelnuts on a baking sheet.
2. Toast them in the oven for 15 minutes at 150 °C.
3. Once toasted, let them cool slightly and rub them to remove the skins. Reserve them inside the oven so they stay somewhat warm.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the dry caramel and heat 1/3 of the sugar in a wide-bottomed saucepan. It's important not to stir the sugar so it doesn't crystallize.
5. When you see it start to dissolve, add a little more sugar and gently swirl the pan so it distributes well.
6. As you see the sugar melting, add a bit more each time, stir gently by moving the pan, and let it melt.
7. Repeat the process until you've added all the sugar and let it heat until you see it has a golden color.
8. At this point, add the almonds and hazelnuts and stir well so they mix with the caramel.
9. Spread over a smooth silicone mat placed on a baking tray, well spread out, and let them cool.
10. When they are cold, break them into pieces and put them in the processor bowl.
11. Grind them until you achieve a fine, creamy paste (for this you'll need a good powerful food processor).
12. Pour the praline into an airtight container and store it for about two weeks.

How to make hazelnut and almond praline with chocolate

Often, praline is presented as a nut and chocolate cream. If you want it that way, simply melt chocolate and mix it with the praline in the grinder, adding it while you grind.

Most commonly it's made with dark chocolate, but nowadays praline is made with all kinds of chocolate (white, dark, or milk). Use the type of chocolate you prefer for your preparation, but make sure it's good quality—it must live up to the delicious praline you've made!

Notes

• You can use this recipe to surprise your guests with a sweet gift: place the praline in a pretty glass jar, and you have an ideal gift.
• Use a smooth silicone mat to spread the caramelized nuts. If you do it on parchment paper, they'll stick when you try to spread them and you won't be able to handle them well. Silicone will make the process much easier for you.