Making candy at home is something that is so satisfying – and surprisingly easy! Whether you’re after caramel or lollipops, you can generally make some sort of candy at home with little more than just some sugar and water. But if you want to venture into something slightly more involved, I highly recommend making homemade nougat.
Similar to a marshmallow, this fluffy, sweet and sticky candy is made by whipping a sugar syrup into egg whites. It’s popular in Italy and Spain (known as torrone and turrón, respectively) and commonly has nuts and dried fruit incorporated into it, as well.
My recipe omits the additions and concentrates on the nougat itself and it also doesn’t use any corn syrup. It’s a fun recipe, surprisingly simple to execute and it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
How to Make Nut-Free Nougat
Like all of my candy recipes, this is one where it pays to have everything laid out and ready to go ahead of cooking.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper, set a dish of water and a pastry brush by the stovetop, and make sure your egg whites have been separated.
Now you can get to making the candy! Start with the syrup, where I add sugar, golden syrup and some water. Swap golden syrup for honey if you don’t have the former. Set the pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Once the sugar is dissolved, dip your pastry brush in the dish of water and use it to wash down the sides of the pan. Then, let the syrup boil, undisturbed, until it reaches a temperature of 150°C/300°F.
Meanwhile, go ahead and whip your egg whites until they reach medium peaks. This is easiest done in a stand mixer if you have one, but you can also use a hand mixer if that is all you have.
Once the syrup has come to temperature, switch your mixer on high and slowly stream the syrup into the egg whites. While you’re doing this, you will notice the egg white expand and become very light and fluffy.
After all of the syrup has been incorporated, mix in a little bit of vanilla bean paste before turning off the mixer.
Now, dust a clean work surface with plenty of cornflour and scrape the nougat out onto it.
Dust more cornflour on top and, with a folding motion as if you’re folding a letter, knead the nougat to cool it down. Add more cornflour, as needed, to prevent sticking.
Once the nougat is cool and pliable, pat it onto the prepared baking tray and top it with another piece of parchment. Then, let it set to cool completely for at least 30 minutes.
When you’re ready to serve, use oiled kitchen shears or a knife to cut it into strips, directly through the paper.
Serve it with the paper to prevent sticking; just remember to peel it back before serving (and if you don’t want to do this, you can always use edible wafer paper instead of parchment).
Soft Nougat Without Nuts
Ingredients
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- 150 g (½ cup) golden syrup or honey
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 60 g (2 oz) egg whites from roughly 2 eggs
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla paste optional
- 25 g (¼ cup) cornstarch/cornflour
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment (see note). Set a pastry brush and a small dish of water next to the stovetop. Add the sugar, golden syrup (or honey) and water to a small saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, cease stirring and dip the pastry brush in the water and wash down the sides of the pan. Allow the syrup to bubble until it reaches a temperature of 150°C/300°F – about 15-20 minutes.
- While the syrup is cooking, add the egg whites and salt to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they reach medium peaks.
- Once the syrup has reached 150°C/300°F, remove it from the heat. Turn the stand or hand mixer to high and carefully stream the hot syrup into the egg whites. The egg whites will increase in volume and become very light and fluffy. Once all of the syrup is added and the mixture is reaching stiff peaks, whisk in the vanilla.
- Dust a clean work surface with cornflour and scrape the nougat out on top of it. Use a bench scraper (or your hands; just note that the mixture is hot) to fold the mixture like a letter. Dust with more cornflour and repeat the motion 3-5 more times, until the nougat is cool and pliable.
- Press the nougat over the prepared baking tray until it reaches an even thickness of about 5mm. Top with another piece of parchment and allow to set until it is completely cool – about 30 minutes. Use an oiled knife or kitchen shears (my preference) to cut the nougat into 16 equal pieces, directly through the parchment.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
And that is all there is to making homemade nougat! This candy is super fun and super delicious, sure to delight anyone who eats it.
Are you after a great recipe for nougat? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
