Celebrating National Pralines Day

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Here in Savannah, there is a variety of treats you can choose from to satisfy any sweet tooth.

We have peach cobbler, banana pudding pecan pie, and pralines. While you’re walking around the shops in downtown Savannah you might get a whiff of something sweet, and what you’re smelling might be a fresh batch of pralines.

In honor of National Pralines Day, which is Saturday, June 24, we headed to a local candy store that produces nearly 200 batches of pralines each day.

Our Michaela Romero shows us what it takes to create these nutty confections to perfection and gives us a little history lesson along the way.

Tim Strickland, the co-owner of River Street Sweets said the sweet treats remind him of home.

“Our family is from Louisiana, my sister was born in Baton Rouge, so pralines are a part of our blood,” said Strickland.

A passion for pralines his family perfected…which lead them here.

“My mother and father were sitting at our home and my father got up at the stove my mother pulled out the southern living cookbook and she read out the recipe he was a really good tinkerer, so he began to tinker with the recipe until he could make 3-4 at one time and that’s how river street sweets came about. "

He said in order to perfect these pralines, it takes a lot of sugar, butter, cream, and the key ingredient, which is Georgia-grown pecans.

Although his family’s recipe came from their Louisiana background, the ‘pralineage’ of this delectable goes back much further.

”A French nobleman charged his chef to come up with a sweet dessert for one of the big parties he was having. So actually the first one, the base was very similar to what a praline is but it was made with almonds at the time.”

Strickland added along with using Georgia-grown pecans, he explains why he thinks their pralines are special.

“First of all we are the largest praline manufacturer in the world. We are the largest one in the US. So our stores make more pralines than all of New Orleans if you just think about it that way. Savannah is becoming an international city so there is a lot of people a lot of tourists a lot of visitors that come into town. Sometimes it’s the second time they taste the pralines it might be the first time or it might be the twentieth time. But regardless that’s why I think our pralines are world famous.”

He said nothing beats a freshly made batch.

“A warm praline off a marble slab is the best candy delicacy ever of all time it is that wonderful and that tasty.”