Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, very coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Measure out the pecans and have handy to the stove. Butter a cookie sheet.
2. In a small, heavy saucepan or skillet, heat sugar and water, swirling pan gently from time to time, until they come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high, cover pan and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Uncover pan and boil for another 2 to 4 minutes, without stirring, until sugar turns a deep golden color and begins to smell like burnt caramel. Immediately remove from heat--syrup burns quickly--and stir in pecans. Turn mixture out onto buttered baking sheet and spread as thinly as possible with a spatula or wooden spoon. Let cool until hardened.
3. To make chunky praline (good for adding to butter cookie doughs or sprinkling on top of cookies before baking), place cooled praline in a heavy-duty plastic bag and pound the bag with a heavy spoon or rolling pin to break the praline into small chunks.
4. To make praline powder, use the above method and keep pounding until the praline is the consistency of a coarse powder. Or, put the cooled praline in a food processor and grind until powdered.