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Chocolate Pralines

Chocolate pralines from Erken 1914: a sugar syrup with glucose boiled to 115 °C, worked into a white fondant with milk and vanilla, shaped into balls, dried, and dipped in melted chocolate. Variation with hazelnut paste.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 631 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Classic fondant pralines from the confectionery chapter in Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914). The sugar syrup is boiled to the "soft-ball stage" and worked out on a dish into white fondant – a technique she describes in several places. Erken also gives a variation with hazelnut paste instead of fondant.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Boil the sugar syrup

    Boil the sugar, water, and glucose syrup to the soft-ball stage, about 115 °C (240 °F).

  2. 2

    Cool down

    Pour the mixture out at once onto a lightly oiled dish, a marble slab, or parchment and let it cool.

  3. 3

    Work into fondant

    Add the milk and vanilla essence and work the mass with a wooden spoon until it turns white and pliable.

  4. 4

    Shape balls

    Shape small, round balls from the mass, roll them in powdered sugar, and let them dry for 1 hour.

  5. 5

    Coat with chocolate

    Cut the chocolate into small pieces and melt it over a water bath without adding sugar. Dip the balls in the chocolate and lift them out with a fork. Place them on paper until they set.

  6. 6

    Variation

    Instead of the fondant mass, you can use a mass of 250 g hazelnuts and 180 g powdered sugar stirred with 2 egg whites.

Changes from the original

"Soft-ball stage" is specified as about 115 °C (240 °F). Glucose corresponds to modern glucose syrup. The oiled dish is replaced by parchment or a marble slab. A dessert spoon is converted to about 1 tsp, and vanilla essence can be replaced by vanilla extract.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 631)~84% of the text changedremovedadded
250 g sukker. 1,25 dl vann. gr. sukker 1¼ del. vand 8 g glukosesirup (glykose). gr. glykose 1 ts dessertske melk (1 dessertskje). 3 dråper draaper vaniljeessens (eller vaniljeekstrakt). 150 g mørk sjokolade (til overtrekk). melis (til å rulle kulene i). Kok sukker, vann gr. chokolade. Sukker, vand og glukosesirup glykose kokes til kulesukker, ca. 115 °C.. Hell massen slaaes straks ut på op paa et lett oljet fat, en marmorplate eller bakepapir og la den kjølne.. Tilsett melk og vaniljeessens avkjøles, tilsættes melken og arbeid massen vaniljen. Arbeides med en tresleiv træske til den blir en hvit og smidig.. Form små, smidig masse. Av massen formes smaa, runde kuler av massen, rull dem i melis og la dem tørke kuler, som rulles i flormelis, ligger til tørk 1 time.. Skjær sjokoladen time. Chokoladen skjæres op i små biter og smelt den smaa stykker, smeltes i vannbad vandbad uten å tilsette at tilsætte den noget sukker. Dypp kulene i sjokoladen Sukkerkulerne dyppes heri og løft dem opp tages op med en gaffel. Legg dem på papir til de stivner.. I stedet for fondantmassen sølvgaffel. Istedenfor sukkermassen kan man bruke en masse av 250 g hasselnøtter og ta ¼ kg. hasselnøtter, 180 g melis rørt med gr. flormelis til 2 eggehviter.

Note on Modernised

«Kulesukker» er presisert til ca. 115 °C. Glykose tilsvarer moderne glukosesirup. Oljet fat er erstattet av bakepapir eller en marmorplate. Dessertske er omregnet til ca. 1 ts, og vaniljeessens kan erstattes av vaniljeekstrakt.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the "soft-ball stage" and why is it important?
The soft-ball stage is the ball stage of sugar boiling (about 115–118 °C), where a drop of syrup forms a ball in cold water. If the sugar is boiled too little, the mass turns out loose; too long, and it turns hard and won't work up white and pliable.
Why should the chocolate be melted over a water bath without sugar?
A water bath gives mild, even heat so the chocolate doesn't burn. Sugar is not added, since the filling with 250 g sugar and powdered sugar is already sweet enough – and sugar can make the chocolate grainy.
How long does it take, and is there a variation without sugar mass?
Allow about 2 hours and 15 minutes in all, of which the balls need to dry 1 hour before dipping. As an alternative to the sugar mass, you can use a nut mass of ¼ kg hazelnuts, 180 g powdered sugar, and 2 egg whites.

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