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How can you pass by a place called Southern Candymakers and NOT go in?! I sure can't. I tried every praline in NOLA and these were among the best. The chocolate ones taste like fudge. The creamy ones are really good. They have more than just pralines. They have all kinds of freshly made candies.
How do you get a job as a taste tester? I will totally donate my services.
It is worth walking in just to take a deep breath. The aroma of melting sugar and butter is wonderful, and something I remember from my trip to New Orleans.
Freshly made pralines are a must-try. Although my boyfriend wasn't a fan of the chocolate variety, I am.
Cafe Beignet mixes are available, as well as some standard New Orleans tourist treats.
TIP: Do not bother ordering online. You will just be disappointed with the level of freshness (nowhere near store quality!)
What else can I say, but wow. From the moment you enter through the door you're greeted by a heavenly aroma of pure sweetness. Some would say its overbearing and others might say that its just right. Either way, if you have sweet tooth or not you must go.
I purchased the mint chocolate covered Oreos & milk chocolate peanut butter cups. My wife had the caramel chocolate fudge. Everything was as though it should be when your are savoring such goodies.
In terms of service, price and the sheer helpfulness of staff this is the BEST candy store in the greater New Orleans area. They are generous with the free samples, especially for those who have never heard of a praline before (I'm a yankee and was treated to a 10 minute lesson on southern confections--with taste-tests galore!). I can't believe they took that much time with me, even though they seemed busy. They also gave me some great pointers of things to try (and avoid) in the French Quarter, things that my Lonely Planet guide failed to mention (like how ticket-happy the meter maids are!).
The store is charming and feels like being in a good friend's kitchen. You can watch them making the candy right there on the marble slab and you feel at home. I can't speak for everything there, but the things I did buy are pure heaven and are running out fast! (Saltwater taffy, Jackson Square which is a diabolically good everything-but-the-kitchen-sink concoction, pralines, chocolate covered ginger, chocolate covered pretzels). Sure the price is a bit higher than a Hershey bar at Walgreen's, but you're paying for the quality, trust me!
Truth: I only tried a sample of a praline here. However, my friends bought several different kinds of candy and treats, and reported that everything was amazing. I'm not huge into sweets, but I do know a good hand-crafted candy store when I experience (and smell, omg) one.
Southern Candymakers makes their pralines (also, as a Northerner, I didn't know pralines weren't just pecans with sugar on them - a yummy mistake) right in the store, and you can watch them being made, and freshly cooling. There are so many interesting varieties of hand-made candy here, from chocolate covered apricots to mint chocolate pretzels, to sweet potato pralines. YUM.
I can easily see me coming here if I was here for longer or lived here. It was all I could do to resist. I know once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop.
Pralines. Nom nom nom nom.
Gretchen P.? What have you done to us - you're an enabler!!
The pralines were divine. Heroin with pecans , ya know? The sugar just main lines right to your system and pow! Instant "everything is alright with the world-ness".
At $18.95 a lb., it was worth every frickin' penny. The lady at the counter asked it we wanted a catalog and we said sure.
Mistake!
The Bouron Street Bark looks amazing - (milk chocolate with Peanut Butter, pretzels, Oreos and Rice Krispies) Criminy! Chocolate-shaped like crawfish, gators and fleur de lis complete this catalog of debauchery.
You can order online and they'll bring this candy crack right to your front door.
And to think I was worried about the Creole food making me fat - ha!
Diet!? What diet? If you're in New Orleans, especially if it's your first time, you must go to Southern Candymakers. I love that you can watch them actually making the candy, then you could stand for hours tasting, trying, then picking out your favorite confection, before devouring them all in the hot Louisiana sun, chocolate melted all over your hands. The dark chocolate covered orange jelly thingies were amazing, as was the chocolate coconut balls, and my chocolate and sprinkles covered long marshmallow on a stick was so much fun, even if I couldn't finish it. They also have spices and coffee along with taffy and other goodies for sale. My favorite guilty pleasure in New Orleans!
Oh....this place is treacherous but WHO CARES?? The pralines were the best I've ever had and that is not an exaggeration. I am so grateful to the guy I shared a cab with the other night who told me about this place - and it's about 2 blocks from Canal Street.
I also bought a plain caramel apple that was scrumptious. The caramel is so fresh. So many other choices. Fast service, nicely packed. Love it.
My mom is obsessed with pralines. I followed her into roughly three shops before she settled. Aunt Sally's is a favorite, but she's always searching for the "new best one ever."
Southern Candymakers is that praline/candy shop. I was even blown away. They had rum, coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, sweet potato, and original. I prefer the original...always. Theirs had huge pecan halves, were rich and buttery, fresh, just the right amount of creamy, without too much sugar that tends to crystallize. Very, very yum!
I like turtles. Or tortues (french), as they are referred to in this shop. Chopped pecans covered with a very good praline caramel, topped with chocolate. With the chocolate, you had options: white, milk, dark, or milk with the entire thing dipped in milk chocolate. I had the dark chocolate one. The best I've ever had. Better than Sees in Houston; better than Lammes in Austin. I think the super-fresh pecans and praline-like middle layer made the difference. The caramel wasn't so gooey and stringy. It didn't stick to my teeth. It was perfect.
Beyond pralines and tortues, they had just about everything confectiony treat (save two-bite brownies) imaginable covered in chocolate. Marshmallows, Oreos (also with white chocolate), candied pineapple rings, pretzels, two inch tall (literally) peanut butter Ritz sandwiches). There were even a few things covered in a peanut butter/chocolate mix. The Oreos looked fantastic. I also wished I could have tried the peanut butter cups. An inch and a half in diameter, and another inch or so tall. They also had ice cream, but who could think of frozen desserts at a time like that?!
I've experienced pralines in Charleston, SC so I knew I needed to get some in New Orleans. In fact, I needed a lot, because that would be my main gift for friends and family. I'd spotted a place before I was ready to buy, but when I was ready to buy the pralines, I couldn't find the place again! I ended up stumbling across Southern Candymakers, and I am so glad I did.
The store is kind of crowded because of all the displays, but the pralines are constantly coming out as soon as the trays get emptied. They have ice cream, gift boxes, and about a million different sweet treats of all kinds.
What really stands out at Southern Candymakers, though, is the service. I needed 5 one-pound boxes and the girl who helped me was excellent. She didn't seem to mind having to do such a big order, and she made sure that the one with a variety (rather than standard pralines) got marked as different. She offered to shrink wrap all the boxes for travel, which was great because I was flying home the next day. I think the other girl served three other customers while the first girl was working with me!
My only regret is that I didn't get a box full of peanut butter pralines. I only got one, and it was great. Now I'll have to order off the internet so I can enjoy more of them! The chocolate and regular pralines are delicious too. Southern Candymakers is highly recommended.
Loses one star for being so expensive.
THE BEST PRALINES YOU'LL EVER EAT IN YOUR LIFE!!
i found out about this place while on a horse-drawn carriage tour, around Nawlins. The driver (elderly gentleman) knew the owner of Southern CandyMakers, so our buggy stopped right in front of the store & an employee (older gentleman) walked right up to us to pass out free samples. It was melt-in-your-mouth goodness!!!!
after the horse-drawn carriage tour, we had to go back to Southern Candymakers & buy boxes of their Original Creamy Pralines as souvenirs for family & friends! they make great gifts!!
i would definitely suggest this place to everyone who visits New Orleans & i would definitely go back there, No Doubt!! it's worth the money & you won't be disappointed!! 5 Stars, all the way!! =)
Royal Street Bark...mmm...I'm dreaming of our next encounter.
Ohh...I can order you online, you say?
F*. The. Diet.
The fudge is also a winner...if "littered" candy goodness isn't your bag...Sorry, I just can't justify giving this place 5 stars for making my ass look fat ;)
The sister and brother Tompkins team were manning the shop when we came in and they shared a great story about the sister's ability to find the baby in the Mardi Gras King cake every year (the baby is symbolic of infant Jesus and the finder gets to be King of the party and has to buy the next year's cake or host the next party).
There nothing like a good story and some genuine kindness to make you feel like spending some money in a local store- and it's not hard with the wonderful service and the candies that they have here: fudge, pralines, chocolate swirled bark, turtles (tortues, en Francaise), and the list goes on !
A few years ago I had stopped here and had a few lbs of pralines sent to my grandfather, and the last time I was in VA Beach he mentioned them so I knew I had to do it again on this trip. We sent him the regular pralines (which were still warm from the oven!), plus coconut and chocolate dipped ones. We also took a half-lb for ourselves, as these are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness that can only be found in New Orleans. Well worth the stop, they have 3 stores in the French Quarter so it shouldn't be hard to find one. Oh, and they have zero calories, everything in the French Quarter has zero calories. Just keep thinking that and you'll be fine.
Still the best pralines and tortues ever. And I also got a peanut butter chocolate covered oreo for 50 cents. Soooo good.
On my first trip to NOLA, I was walking around the French Quarter kiling time before heading to HOB… Read more »
The best pralines, bar none. Especially when they're HOT!
The white chocolate, mac nut toffee is AMAZING! It was one of the best snacks I have ever devoured. This place is a great location to pick up some unique souvenirs for those on your list.
A huge variety of yummy, creamy, nutty, caramelly, treats. Go there. Try them. Buy them. Eat them. Slowly. And only one at any given time. Or you will get a tummy ache! :D
I was given a box for a gift. Awesome! Would definitely recommend. The praline.....OMG, I wish I had another box. I am currently consuming the Tortue, wow....I hear the gym calling my name.
Every time I come to visit it is a must to bring back pralines for my family & friends. We usually would either get them from aunt sally's or my nephews' mom would get them from an old man that would make them and sale them at the hospital she worked at. But last year we went into Southern Candymakers and it was a very good decision. The pralines were so good....creamy and just a whole lot of goodness. We also bought some turtles which were just as good. Oh yea not to mention they had a such friendly staff.
Watch out for Southern Candymakers' glazed pecans -- they're addictive! The confectioner starts with enormous, fresh pecans and then coats them in a paper-thin layer of glaze. The result? Sweet candied pecans with the perfect amount of crunch. Eat one and you won't be able to stop!
It seems that everyone has their preference for favorite pralines in New Orleans, and for my money, you can't beat Southern Candymakers. Friendly staff and the creamiest pralines around. They ship, thankfully, but there are few things better than a fresh praline melting in your mouth.
this place is nice. i like their pralines better than Leah's.
wait for the ones straight from a hot batch.
nice sweetness with buttery-ness compared to more sugary at Leah's (comparing the classic kind)
also can watch the entire candy-making process
also tried the jackson square--kinda like a crunch bar (rice krispy) with caramel on top and covered in chocolate. lots of various chocolate oreos.
New Orleans, LA
Category: Candy Stores
New Orleans, LA
Category: Cosmetics & Beauty Supply
New Orleans, LA
Category: Zoos
New Orleans, LA
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
New Orleans, LA
Category: Accessories
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