Though I feel my heart is already promised to The Atkinson Candy Company when it comes to Texan candy, I realize there are many other small manufacturers littered across the Lone Star State. Often, I see the products of these other companies near the checkout aisle of drug stores or on the countertops of gas stations. It’s hard for independent companies to afford shelf-stocking fees, so I assume this localized display is one of the few ways they can afford to compete with the big three.
On a trip to a Walgreens, I spotted this tiny, square praline piece of candy in a wicker basket. Truthfully, I had come to buy a bag of Twix, but this cellophane-wrapped candy seemed like the dog in the pound nobody adopts because it’s not a purebred. Well, there was no way I could let this mutt/piece of candy just sit there. It needed a good home/stomach.
The candy turned out to be called a Chewy Pecan Praline, which is manufactured by the Kay Klauber Candy Factory from Columbus Texas. I had a good feeling about this candy right away. I have always been charmed by candies whose names nonchalantly tell you exactly what you’re about to eat, instead of trying to trick you into purchasing them with some brand name that is never as tasty as the name implies.
The candy is remarkably firm for a praline, and though it is a little sticky to touch, I was expecting far worse. Oddly, the smell of this candy is indicative of baked goods, particularly donuts, which isn’t that surprising since the ingredients for both are very similar.
Despite its diminutive appearance, the piece is quite thick, and the richness of the bite fools your mouth into believing it is bigger. The major drawback is that it really sticks to your teeth.
As far as taste goes, it’s a wonderful pecan pie flavor, but less sweet than the pastry. The nuts are fragrant and somewhat crunchy, but not so dense that your mouth can’t still distinguish the rest of the flavors. The praline setting is buttery with cinnamon notes.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty darn tasty candy. I am not a huge fan of pralines, but that might be because I never saw them often growing up in Los Angeles. Now that I live in a place where they’re ubiquitous, I’ll probably start incorporating them into my candy rotation.
The bad thing about living in Canada is that we get lots of candies with maple, but just about nothing with pecans!(Aren’t they supposed to be a natural pairing?) You’re very lucky to be living in praline country – I think I’d be hard-pressed to find even one variety around here.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:03 pm