Classic Nougat

Classic Nougat

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.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment below and rate it – it’s really helpful to me and the other readers. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #thegourmetlarder on Instagram. I love seeing what you come up with! 🙂


RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

  • EASE: intermediate – due to needing some extra equipment.
  • GREAT FOR: a treat, friends and family visiting they also make nice homemade gifts!
  • 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


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    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 recommendations: pure vanilla extract or 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.

    TIP: 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, bring 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.

    If you experiment, I would love to know how you get on and share it with the other readers.


    NUTRITION

    Serving: one piece

    Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.

    I strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy.

    I encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Nougat

    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.

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

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

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

    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.

    The Gourmet Larder is an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    TIP: I highly recommend using metric measurements and a digital kitchen scale, rather than cup measurements. If you have ever ended up with dry, dense or crumbly baked goods, it might be because of inaccurate volume measurements, not all measuring cups are made equally. All my recipes on this blog are carefully developed so that you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success, using metric measurements. It is also a lot easier, less messy and you will get far better, consistent results. 🙂
    If you are interested in understanding conversions, here you will find the best conversion chart.


    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.


    Stay in touch with me through social media on FacebookPinterest, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest updates!

    Nougat

    Classic nougat

    Preparation:20 minutes
    Cooling:4 hours
    Total:4 hours 20 minutes
    Servings: 50 – 2cm squares
    Tools you’ll need:
    • see blog post
    Nougat has a super soft, nutty texture and a hint of chewiness you can't help but reach for another piece.

    INGREDIENTS LIST
     

    • 300 g caster sugar
    • 50 ml water
    • 130 g honey (or corn syrup)
    • 2 medium egg whites (60g total at room temperature)
    • 1 pinch fine sea salt
    • 10 g freeze-dried strawberry powder
    • 80 g whole roasted pistachios
    • 150 g whole roasted hazelnuts
    • 100 g glacé cherries (aka Candied Cherries)
    • 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) (US: cornstarch)
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/4 tsp of vanilla paste (optional)
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 tsp neutral-tasting oil (coconut, vegetable or sunflower oil)

    Preparation
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F / Gas 6
      On a baking tray, scatter the nuts and toast in the oven for 8-10 mins, then set aside.
    • Line a baking pan that is at least 20 x 20cm with baking parchment and brush with flavourless oil, to avoid the nougat sticking.
    • Into a heavy-based saucepan, heat the sugar with the water over a moderate heat without stirring. Place a sugar thermometer inside the pan, and when the temperature reaches 135°C (275°F) add the honey.
    • Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 158°C (316°F). At this point, immediately remove the mixture from the heat and leave it to cool for a minute or two.
    • In a stand mixer bowl, with a whisk attachment, on a low speed whisk the egg whites and a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks.
      Turn down the speed of the mixer and pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl in a slow, steady stream. Add the strawberry powder, the cornflour and turn the speed back up.
    • After about 10 minutes, you will have a thick, glossy, smooth meringue that is harder to work and starts to tear.
    • Beat in the butter and then using a spatula, stir through the nuts, cherries and vanilla extract.
    • Scrape the mixture into the lined pan, then flatten with a lightly oiled spatula and spread out to the desired thickness. I like mine to be around 2cm (1inch) thick.
    • Leave to cool for 4-5 hours until set.
      Then turn out and, using a big sharp hot knife, portion into bars or squares.

    Notes & 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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    KEYWORDS candy recipes, christmas recipes, egg white recipes, honey recipes, honey recipes, how to make nougat, nut recipes, strawberry recipes

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    Nougat

    PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IT TURNED OUT FOR YOU!

    If you tried this Classic Nougat or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Also, please leave a star rating whilst you’re there!

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