Ann Reardon

Nougat Recipe

candy recipe nougat ann reardon how to cook that

This nougat is the hard chewy variety, great for Christmas gifts. If you add lots of dried fruit and leave it a few days it will soften a little and not be such a jawbreaker. If you like hard nougat then just add nuts. You can dip it in chocolate or enjoy it just as it is.

Nougat Recipe Ingredients

2 cups or 432g (15.24 ounces) caster (superfine) sugar
1 1/2 cups or 528g (18.62 ounces) liquid glucose syrup (or corn syrup)
honey (optional – decrease the liquid glucose in equal amounts for the honey that you add, I add just 1 Tbsp this is just for flavour)
2 egg whites (72g (2.54 ounces))
1 1/2 cups or 195g (6.88 ounces) nuts of your choice – I like to use pistachios in the mix because of the colour
1 1/2 cups or 252g (8.89 ounces) mixed dried fruit (you can decrease the fruit and increase the nuts if you prefer)

Firstly get everything ready because once the sugar syrup is at the right temperature you need to be a ready to move quickly.
Place your egg whites into the bowl of an electric stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer but you will probably need someone to assist you). Line a tray with non-stick baking paper, put some water into a cup with your pastry brush and have your candy thermometer ready.
Place the sugar, glucose syrup and honey into a saucepan and stir until the sugar was dissolved. Wash down the sides of the pan using a pastry brush. Turn on the beater and whip the egg whites to soft peaks.
Using a candy thermometer monitor the sugar syrup temperature until it reaches 250ºF (120ºC). Remove from the heat, turn on the mixers and add three soup ladles full into the egg whites.
Leave the mixers running and return the pan to the heat. Continue to heat until it reaches 300ºF (150ºC) then immediately pour into the egg white mixture in a steady stream. It will start to get very thick, add the fruit and nuts and quickly pour onto the lined baking tray.
If you want flat bars place another sheet of non-stick baking paper over the top and use rolling pin to smooth out. Once it is cold, turn out and peel off the paper. Using a sharp knife and a lot of muscles push down and rock back and forth on the knife to force it through the candy.
Store in an airtight container with non-stick paper on the base and between the layers of nougat.

nougat candy recipe

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

113 Comments View Comments

  1. Hi, Ann. I’ve been making your nougat recipe for the past couple of Christmases. What are the different ways in which the nougat can come out too soft? Does the whipping of the eggs effect the setting? Does whipping the eggs longer after adding some of the sugar change it? I’ve have mixed luck on getting it to set, even though my measuring and temperature monitoring is spot on. Sometimes it has set beautifully, sometimes it’s runny, and looks like a sunny-side up egg instead of nougat with nuts. I’m a novice candy maker and don’t understand the science. Please help if you can. Thanks in advance, Shelley Grace

    • Hi Shelley Grace, The main thing that effects the setting is getting your temperature right. If you are using a candy thermometer, it might be worth just checking it is accurate. Sit it in some boiling water and check the temp.

  2. I tried it but it didn’t get thick at all. Do you know what could have gone wrong?

    • Hi Eric, It is difficult to know without seeing the how it turned out. Did the nugat firm up on cooling. It is possible that the syrup wasn’t cooked properly. Double check your ingredients and quantities next time as well.

  3. Hi I’m trying to make a “mixed berry & almond nougat” and for some reason my nougat didnt set 🙁 What would be the reason for this? It worked out perfectly. did everything correctly, but it just did not set.. is it because of the berries? I left it to set over night on the kitchen bench, and it had not set by morning… So i tried to put it in fridge and checked again 5-6 hours later, still no change. why? Pleeease help!!

  4. Hi! I’m wondering how long before you’re gonna eat these you can make them?

    Best regards from Sweden

    • Hi Camilla, How long the nougat will keep will depend on what you put in it and how it is stored. For this recipe you could make the nougat up to 2 weeks in advance, but store as Ann suggests in an airtight container and with non-stick paper in between.

  5. I’ve hered of some people using aluminum foil and cooking spray or vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Is it possible to use it in your resipe?

    • Hi Eric, You could try it but if it sticks it will be much harder to remove.

  6. I would like to make it with pure honey only. Is it possible?if so, what would be the amount neede? And do I syll have to use corn syrup?

    • Hi Boulvol, You could use just honey but the flavour would be incredibly strong. You get a better balance of flavour using the recipe quantities.

  7. what could I use instead of glucose to stop the syrup from crystallising?

    • Hi Sean, You could use corn syrup.

  8. Hi,
    Could you add the nuts/fruit to the whipped egg whites after you add the few ladles of the sugar mixture but before you add the rest? I would think that would give you more time to put it on the sheet and spread it out.
    Thanks.

  9. i like it very much

  10. very very very gooooooooood i like it thanks

    • Thanks for the feedback Monira.

      • Could u use this for toyr snicker bar byt just add jn peanut bytter and minus the nuts? Or no u cant ?

        • Hi Ashley, The Nougat recipe would be too hard for the snickers bar. Use the recipe on the Snickers Bar page. It will work far better.

  11. Best recipe ever! I tried to make nougat 3 times before, all failed. But this was just perfect. I did not use any honey, i did add some orange blossom water. Thanks!!

  12. My daughter made your nougat. I was pretty popular, but next time we will drop the honey.
    I have a request. Our favourite nougat come with edible rice paper top and bottom. Do you have any suggestions for this. the only rice paper I found was spring roll wrapper, and they don’t work.
    Thanx.

    • You can buy the rice paper from your local continental deli.

  13. I love UR show and how easy your respond for each recipes do sell a book

  14. hi anne

    • hi shay

  15. well done anne

  16. cool

  17. Hi, love your site and your recipes. Can golden syrup be used as a substitute for liquid glucose/corn syrup?

    Thanks

  18. How do you get such a white nougat?..by the time the honey/sugar gets to 300 degrees the mixture is very dark… I tried cooking a lower temp… what’s the secret?
    Thanks
    GG

    • I think that a contributing factor to making the nougat a ‘snowy’ white colour is the whipped egg whites. Using too much honey can also make it less white 🙂

  19. Good Day
    I have a qeustion i made nogat sweets but it dont want to set. What can i do for it to set?

  20. Hiya.
    When you say “jawbreaker” I imagine something like hard candy.
    I’m hoping for a hard, chewy, texture. Sort of like Mackintosh Toffee… (I don’t know if that is only in Canada.)
    It starts off hard (We used to smack it hard on the ground to break it into mouth-sized pieces) but then becomes more chewy as you eat it.
    You call for dried fruit… what about glacé cherries? I’m wanting to make some that quite colourful for Christmas.
    Thanks!

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