Praline's a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup. Pralines in America As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le Vicomte by the cook of the 17th century sugar industrialist, Marshal du Plessis-Praslin (1598-1675), early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar, as opposed to dark nougat, where a sheet of caramelized sugar covers many nuts. French settlers brought this recipe to Louisiana, where both sugar cane and pecan trees were… (More on Praline)