Q: Do you know a way to soften praline candy? I just received a dozen from a friend in New Orleans, and they are starting to dry out already. What can I do to salvage them and restore the creamy texture?
Sent by Victoria
Editor: Oh, dear! Since the problem is mostly that the sugar in the pralines gets hard and crystallized, you might try softening them the way you'd soften hard brown sugar. Place a terracotta sugar saver in the container or something else that's slightly damp, like a few slices of apple or a slice of fresh bread.
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Readers, do you have any other ideas?
Related: Sweet No-Bake Recipe: Classic Southern Pralines
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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Ditto the apple. I'd put them in a jar or zip lock bag with a cut up apple. Try loosely wrapping the apple in wax paper so it doesn't touch the pralines. Let us know what you do and how it works out.
I used to bring them home to Chicago after visiting my mom in Atlanta and I would microwave them for about 10 seconds. Probably not the most best way, but it would do the trick in a pinch.
You could crumble them in ice cream...
Also, you can soften them in the oven the way you do brown sugar. And if you like gilding the lily, try sealing them in melted chocolate.
Toss them into a closed container with a slice of bread.
I've made pralines since I can remember with my family and they usually don't last that long to get hard! But once they do, theres really no saving them. If transporting them, they should be tight tight wrapped in saran wrap.