My mom’s vintage praline grahams recipe is a great treat perfect for any time of year but especially during the holiday season.
If you like this recipe, check out my Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust next!
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I love searching though my Mom and Grandma’s recipe cards and finding old favorites that I’ve forgotten about. These Praline Grahams are like praline crack or Christmas crack. They are such an easy recipe and completely addictive. Package them up in a tin for gift giving. Or set them out as part of a festive charcuterie spread. I increased the amount of pecans and added a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to make them even more celebratory and over the top. You will not be able to stop at eating just one square of my graham cracker pralines.
More easy recipes
Ingredients for praline graham cracker squares
- Graham Crackers – I prefer to use regular graham crackers for this recipe, not organic or low fat.
- Pecans – I doubled up the pecans for my version of this recipe. I think a thick coating of chopped pecans makes them an extra fancy and decadent treat.
- Butter – My Mom’s recipe card called for margarine. But I always use butter in my baking so that’s what I’m using here. I used salted but you could use unsalted butter instead.
- Light Brown Sugar – Just a half cup sugar is plenty of sweet flavor for an entire pan of these toffee grahams.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla helps to amp up the flavor of the toffee layer.
- Sea Salt – A little flaky or course sea salt contrast well with the sweet graham and toffee flavors.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an ungreased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet or rimmed baking sheet) with a Silpat liner. You could also line it with parchment paper or wax paper. I do not recommend using cooking spray or heavy-duty foil.
Arrange 15 sheets of graham crackers (30 squares) in a single layer on the lined pan. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine butter and brown sugar together. Bring to a rolling boil and gently boil for 3 minutes (a candy thermometer is not necessary). Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla.
Evenly pour the brown sugar mixture over the grahams and spread it gently to the edges with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the coated grahams with the chopped pecans. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove the pan from the oven and lightly sprinkle the squares with about 1/4 teaspoon of the flaky sea salt. Allow to cool on the pan. Then gently break the pralines into squares.
Pro tips
- Do not mix the pecans into the brown sugar and butter! The nuts will make the hot caramel mixture sieze up and then you won’t be able to spread it onto the graham crackers. Trust me, I was trying to save a step, and ruined an entire batch.
- Be careful when adding the vanilla and be sure and do it off the heat. It makes the hot caramel mixture bubble up.
- Praline grahams are great with melted chocolate too! Microwave some chocolate chips until melted. Then drizzle the chocolate over top of the cooled graham cracker squares, before removing them from the sheet pan.
- There are many other names for these praline grahams. I have also seen them referred to as – cracker toffee, graham cracker pralines, graham cracker squares, praline crack, and Southern pralines.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to make a big batch for gift giving.
Serving suggestions
I personally think these graham cracker pralines belong on a charcuterie spread. Here’s some of my own recipes that you could serve along with them as appetizers for a party. Plus a guide for how to build a charcuterie board –
- Air Fryer Brie
- Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
- How to Make a Salami Rose
- Greek Feta Dip
- Blueberry Cheeseball
- How to Make a Charcuterie Board
Storage directions
Store the cracker toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Store the toffee in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to two weeks.
Kitchen tools
- Half sheet pans that I use in my kitchen to test my recipes
- Silicone Silpat liners for lining the pans and making for easy cleanup
- Offset spatula for spreading the caramel layer onto the graham crackers
- Small, nonstick saucepan similar to what I use to boil the brown sugar and butter together
- Small hammer I keep in my kitchen for crushing nuts and peppermints for baking
Praline Grahams
Ingredients
- 15 graham cracker sheets (rectangles)
- 1 stick butter salted
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1/4 tsp flaky or course sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan (half sheet pan) with a Silpat baking mat. Or you can line it with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Arrange 15 graham crackers sheets on the pan in a single layer, you'll have three rows of five. 15 sheets equals 30 squares of crackers.
- In a small, nonstick saucepan over medium heat, melt together the stick of butter and brown sugar. Gently boil the mixture, without stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla, giving it a good stir with a rubber spatula.
- Evenly pour the brown sugar mixture over the graham crackers. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly to the edges of the crackers.
- Evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans over top of the graham crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the praline grahams evenly with the sea salt. Allow them to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Then break them apart into 30 squares.
Nutrition
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