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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until golden brown and aromatic, 7 to 9 minutes; set aside.
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3
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and milk to a boil; decrease the heat to medium and cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (234 to 240F on a candy thermometer).
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4
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter, salt, pecans, and vanilla.
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5
Beat the mixture for about 5 minutes with a wooden spoon, or until the mixture begins to stiffen.
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6
Quickly drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper.
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7
(If you arent fast enough, the mixture will become too hard to scoop.)
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8
Wrap individually in waxed paper, or store in an airtight container.
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9
To make even whiter pralines, omit the vanilla extract and drop in a halved vanilla bean with the sugar and milk.
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10
Remove the vanilla bean as soon as the mixture comes to a boil.
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11
Use the pointed tip of a knife to dig out the vanilla seeds and add them back to the praline mixture.
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12
Individually wrapped or stored in an airtight container, the pralines will keep for about 3 days.
