question 'bout pecan pralines

I've got the flavor right but am not happy with the texture. It's grainy and almost pure sugar like.

Basic recipe is 1 C white sugar, 1 C lt brown sugar, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 stick butter. Mix all and heat to 245 F. 1 tsp vanilla and 1 cup pecans at the end.

If I go much higher on temp it begins to soften into a quasi caramel.

If I change the cream/butter amount will it result in a less sugary product?

Suggestions most appreciated.

Turn the temperature down a bit, let the sugar dissolve as it comes to a rolling boil, gently fold the pecans in.

crystals.

Rather than creamy. I thought that's how they were supposed to be, lol.

sandy in your mouth. It's a mouth feel/texture thing. I'll try Sandnsea and MagicMuffin's suggestions and see if I can find that balance between raw sugar and caramel.

BTW, everybody who tries them agrees with you. Maybe being the cook who tries them too many times makes me too critical.

While the sugar and liquids are heating up be sure to wash down any sugar grains accumulating on the sides of the pan. One sugar crystal not totally dissolved will ruin Divinity. Since I have been using this technique my Divinity has always turned out to be extremely creamy and not a sugary texture.

Let me know if this works out, if you decide to try it.:hi:

dissolve completely before bringing to temp. I'll let you know if my next batch is a bit softer and creamier.

in the vastness of the ether there is an expert on damn near everything.

and they mostly say to cook to 235 - 240 (soft ball stage) with several saying 238.

So it may be that your recipe is simply over-cooking the sugar, causing it to set up more than you would like. It may also be that your thermometer is off - you can check that by putting it in pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, it should maintain a temp of 212 (unless you are at high altitude, in which case it will be lower).

It may also be that you're getting sugar crystals on the side of the pan that's causing the mixture to crystalize, too.

It sounds to me as though the problem is more related to crystalization than to the proportions of cream and butter.

Cooking sugar can be tricky, you might want to do a little research on how to avoid crystalization.

The corn syrup in RushIsRot's recipe that he posted helps prevent crystalization.

Temp varies depending on whether you mix the butter/cream in before heating. I think it comes down to not dissolving the sugar or crystals on the sides of the pan.

I'll get back to all ya' all when I make the next batch.