Ohhh, Old-School Pecan Dandy Do’s — that’s a nostalgic Southern-style candy 🍬✨
They’re essentially chewy, buttery pecan drop clusters — somewhere between pralines and no-bake cookie mounds.
🌰 Old-School Pecan Dandy Do’s
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Toast the pecans (optional but worth it).
Lightly toast in a dry pan 3–5 minutes for deeper flavor. - Cook the base.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt.
Stir constantly until it reaches a gentle boil. - Boil to soft-ball stage.
Let boil 3–5 minutes (or to 235–240°F if using a thermometer). - Finish.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pecans. Let sit 1–2 minutes to slightly thicken. - Drop & set.
Spoon onto parchment paper in small mounds. Let cool completely until firm.
Texture Notes
- Shorter boil = softer, fudgier.
- Longer boil = firmer, more praline-like.
They’re sweet, buttery, nutty — and very “church cookbook from the 70s” in the best way 😄
Do you want them softer and chewy, or more crisp like classic pralines?
