Classic Nougat

The recipe, step by step

Classic nougat has a super soft, nutty texture and a hint of chewiness you can’t help but reach for another piece.

Nougat is typically made from sugar and egg whites, which gives you that chewy soft texture marshmallow has. From there, it is really down to your personal tastes whether you add nuts, chopped fruits or flavourings such as lemon, orange or chocolate. For this recipe, I added freeze-dried strawberry powder with hazelnuts, glacé cherries and pistachios for colour. It is quite addictive, still, everything is allowed in moderation. 🙂

While making nougat can come across as complicated, it is pretty straightforward if you have the right equipment. Owning a sugar thermometer and a stand mixer for whisking is ideal. If you don’t have these you can still make the recipe, but the finished candy will most likely come out being very soft rather than firm. Another cause of the nougat being too soft is humidity. Try making it on a day when the humidity level is very low. But don’t be discouraged from giving this recipe ago. Once mastered, you can try making different flavours and nougat is great for gift giving. It can be cut into long pieces or cubes and then wrapped in cellophane or kept in a Kilner jar to give to your friends and family.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

• EASE: intermediate – due to needing some extra equipment.
• TASTE: sweet strawberry and nutty flavours.
• TEXTURE: soft, fluffy, and chewy candy stubbed with crunchy nuts.
• QUANTITY: 50 x 2cm squares
• TIME: 4 hours 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For this strawberry nougat recipe, all you need are these ingredients:

• Whole pistachios and hazelnuts – add a crunch to the nougat. You can use only one of these if you prefer.

• Glacé Cherries (aka Candied Cherries) – add a bit of extra colour and texture along with the nuts.

• Caster or granulated white sugar – adds sweetness and structure.

• Honey – adds flavour, you can also use corn syrup.

• Medium egg whites – create that fluffy, soft, chewy marshmallow texture. Make sure they are at room temperature before use.

• Freeze-dried strawberry powder – gives this nougat a burst of summer taste and sweetness. I bought freeze-dried strawberry slices which I then partially powdered, but they are also available in powder form.

• Cornflour – helps the structure of the egg whites and adds a little firmness to the end product.

• Vanilla extract or paste – adds flavour and enhances the other ingredient flavours in the recipe.

• Vanilla – I use Taylor & Colledge vanilla products, they add a delicious taste to your recipes and enhance the other ingredient flavours: pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods.

• Butter – adds flavour and helps to prevent the meringue from absorbing moisture.

• Neutral-tasting oil (coconut, vegetable or sunflower oil) – perfect for greasing the pan and spatula to stop the nougat sticking.

• Salt – I highly recommend adding a good pinch of salt to your sweet creations. Salt helps balance out the sweetness and richness. It also elevates the other ingredients, bringing out the best characteristics of the recipe. In a seemingly absurd or contradictory way, salt intensifies the mouth’s ability to taste sweetness. Sodium sends signals to move glucose into the sweet taste receptor cells in our tongue, triggering the cells to register sweetness. The result is that salt not only alerts our ‘salt sensitivity’, but also our ‘sweet sensitive’ taste buds. I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt.

WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

Try adding your favourite roasted nuts, chopped fruits and flavourings such as lemon, orange or chocolate.

• Alternative fruit flavours – try using different freeze-dried fruits.

– Freeze dried fruit recommendations include: strawberry, passion fruit, raspberry, wild blueberry, blackcurrant, mango, pineapple or kiwi.

Nutrition

Serving: one piece

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

STORAGE AND FREEZING

This nougat will keep well in an airtight container for up to a month. If you want to give the nougat as a present, it can be wrapped in cellophane or kept in a Kilner jar.

Freezing is not recommended for nougat.

TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

As I mentioned before making nougat is pretty straightforward if you have the right equipment. Owning a sugar thermometer and an electric hand whisk or stand mixer is ideal.

• KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Die-cast Metal, 300 W, 4.8 ltrs
  

Not everyone is lucky enough to have one of these but they are useful if you do a lot of baking or making bread.

• Breville Classic Combo Stand and Hand Mixer | 3.7 Litre Stainless Steel Bowl | Swivel Control, Whisk, Dough Hooks and Beaters

I like this model of electric hand mixer because it comes with a large stand, meaning you don’t have to always hold it.

• Thermometer – Stainless Steel – Easy to Read, Mercury Free – From 40°C to 200°C

This thermometer help me to make perfect jam, marshmallows, caramel and Swiss butter cream.

• James Martin Stainless Steel, heavy, 16cm 1.5L Saucepan with Vented Glass Lid, Induction Ready, Oven Safe, Dishwasher Safe, Fully Guaranteed

I prefer to use a heavy based saucepan for boiling milk or cooking creams, the heat is distributed more evenly and allows you to control the heating more accurately.

RECIPE TIPS

Preparation – I highly recommend reading the instructions for this recipe before starting to get a full understanding of what you will need to do.

Whisking egg whites – you should always start with a large spotless clean bowl and ensure that no egg yolk or grease can come into contact with them. It is also important to use fresh eggs at room temperature.

Low humidity – is important as the egg whites do not like too much moisture. Try to make the nougat when there is low humidity in the air. The addition of butter in this recipe also helps.

Nougat softness – is determined by the temperature the sugar syrup is heated to. Anything from 135°C for a very soft nougat to 158°C for a very firm nougat.

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