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. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann
    I trust your recipes and want to make your nougat but would like it to be softer rather than hard jaw breaker. What ingredient to I reduce or increase to get a slightly softer nougat or what temperature do I reduce the cooking process to

  2. Rating: 5

    Thank you for sharing this recipe ! It is absolutely wonderful and i have been looking for a recipe like this one 🙂

  3. Thank you Ann. I really hope your son gets well soon. Being a mother myself i know how hard it can be sometimes. Be strong . God bless you. Love you lots.

    • Thanks Nasha.

  4. Hii ann.. love your recipes so very much. I made nougat with your recipe two times and it turned out great. But i cant get enough liquid glucose anymore . Can i substitute it with more sugar and half the amount of your liquid glucose ??

    • Hi Nasha, Changing the propotions will significantly impact on the result. What you will get is likely to be too hard and tough with those quantities.

  5. Can i make this without egg?

    • Hi Mounika, sorry but no.

  6. Hi there, I live in South Africa and want to try this but I don’t think we get corn syrup here, well I haven’t seen any. What alternative can be used instead of it?
    thanks

    • Corn syrup is the same as glucose syrup. It is available in South Africa both online and in stores. If you cant find it in supermarkets, try baking stores or a pharmacy.

  7. I had the yummiest Orange zest nougat covered in chocolate by Haigh’s in Melbourne. Very zesty and chewy! Since we don’t get it in India I have been trying hard to replicate it without success. I have downloaded 19 recipes & several videos. I have a candy thermometer – but all my nougats were runny liquid!! Couldn’t even dip it in chocolate. I am planning to try your recipe next – it seems the best! Have had so many nougat disasters – if this one fails I will never try it again! Should I mash the candied orange before adding it to the egg whites at the end? Would really appreciate your advice.

    • Hi Simi, I haven’t tried the Nougat you had in Melbourne, but I d know Ann’s is yummy. Normally you would just chop candied fruit and had it into the nougat as per the video. I think candied Orange peel and some dark chocolate mixed into the nougat would be a real treat.

      • Rating: 5

        Hi Ann i tried your recipe multiple timed but every time it seems to come out rock solid. Do you have any tips on how to soften the nougat.

    • Where are you from ? I am from Kerala,India .I have tried many recipes like you,but 90% was failure and finally I succeed to make the best nougat.Contact my whatsapp number (removed)I will advice you to improve your recipe.Did you use honey or liquid glucose in your recipe?

  8. Wooow thank you , I made it and it’s great

    • Awesome!

  9. Hi Anne,
    Looking forward to trying your nougat recipe!
    I am experimenting to find a recipe that I can make and leave on the table as little gifts for all the guests at my wedding this coming spring. Can you suggest the best way to package it to keep it from going too soft and sticky?

    • Hi Belinda, It is a challenge but whatever packaging you use it is best to keep your nougat in a cool, dry and airtight away from direct sunlight. If you wrap in cellophane, then put the wrapped nougat into an airtight container to store, it will help greatly. Another option is to coat your nougat in tempered chocolate or wrap in edible rice paper before it is packaged.

  10. Is this a soft nougat? Will be making it today, and wanted to know kind of what the texture is since I have never had nougat 🙂 Thank you!!!

    • Hi Nadia , a good Nougat will generally be firm enough to hold it’s own shape when set but chewy. It shouldn’t be too soft.

  11. What is the science behind the ladels of syrup at 120 degrees?

    • Hi Peter, The sugar needs to be heated to the point when the right kinds of bonds form to make it set firmly.

  12. May I know what’s the reason the sugar must use 432 gr and liquid glucose must use 528 gr ?

  13. Hey Ann!

    I’m having trouble with my nougat. After 8hrs of storing and pressing down, my nougat isnt hardening. What have i done wrong? I’ve done all the steps from your recipe except for the candy thermometer checking. I checked the syrup using the crack test though. It hardened and made a hard crack when I pulled. Any suggestions?

    • Hi Jamie, The best thing to do would be to get a candy thermometer. If it isn’t setting, it is likely that the syrup wasn’t taken quite far enough.

  14. Hi Ann, so excited to find your site! I’ve been searching hi and low to find a good recipe for nougat. I’ve read all the comments here and so many positive reviews, now I’m willing to try this after wasting so much money trying bad recipes of nougat in the past. Can I add other flavors like coffee (my favorite) or toffee, can I use flavoring oil in it or what do you suggest? Thank you.

    • Hi Ela, If you have had trouble with other recipes, I suggest you try this recipe as is first then if it produces nougat as you like it, then consider trying to add other ingredients. Usually nuts, chocolate or candied fruit work well.

      • Hi Admin, thanks for your response. One more thing, do you use salted, lightly salted or unsalted nuts?

        • Hi Ela, For a sweet like nougat you would usually use unsalted nuts.

          • Thanks Admin. I’m making his tomorrow, to include in my cookie basket this year as my giveaway to my friends and family for Christmas. Crossing my fingers that mine will come out good.

          • Success!!! Admin, thank you very much for the recipe. The best nougat I’ve ever tried, I’m so happy with the result. Just the right texture that I’m looking for in nougats. My husband couldn’t stop eating it, me too! Again thank you very much, more powder to you.

          • This is the best nougat recipe and quite easy to make. Will be making this again for gifts this coming Christmas 2017 and for many special occasions ahead. Thank you so much for the awesome nougat recipe!!!

          • Thanks Ela!

  15. What is the trick to keeping the sugar from turning brown?..To get it up to 300 degrees it always turns. I’ve tried turning down the heat.
    How long does it take to get up to 300 degrees?

    • Hi Gina, Ann recommends checking your candy thermometer. If the hot sugar mix just turns a little golden at the edges it should be fine. If it is turning really brown then your thermometer is probably faulty. You can check it by boiling some water in a pan on the stove. When it boils, pop in the thermometer and check that it is reading 100C. If it isn’t close on that your thermometer is faulty.

  16. I have tried making this nougat and it won’t set . What have i done wrong and do you have any ideas of what i can do with this sticky nougat.
    Thanks

    • Hi Helen, It sounds like you may not have taken the sugar syrup quite far enough. To use sticky nougat, it is best to wrap it in edible rice paper and cut into serves. The other thing to keep in mind is that it needs to be quickly stored in an airtight container or it will become stickier!

  17. Hi Ann,
    Ran across your site when looking for a nougat recipe..ended up staying a long time and watching some of your wonderful videos, the feather one was sooo awesome. Going to try your nougat recipe as soon as I send this. Besides you sharing your recipes, I so appreciate having both metric and US measurements right there so I don’t have to go hunting down the conversion amounts. You will be my go to spot when needing a new recipe. Thank you for your amazing effort!!

    • Glad to be of assistance Allyson.

  18. I came across your page while looking for a more chewy type of nougat. I just did it twice by using different recipes and it turned out horribly. So today, i tried out your recipe and it came out PERFECT. It’s not hard like rock, and it’s not soft, it’s just right and as the way i wanted it. I just had a cousin who’s Persian and she just came to the US to visit from Iran, and she bought me a couple of Nougat from Isfahan. The one i made is almost as perfect as the one came from isfahan. All i need is some rose water which i can’t find it anywhere around here in the State of Wisconsin. Your recipe ROCKS. Here is the picture of my Nougat

    • Hi Mya, your nougat looks so yummy! Makes me want some right now with a good cup of tea.

      • you can add some drop of rose essence

  19. Hi Dear Ann,
    I am trying to make nougat. I have tried different recipes but every time the mix turns yellow instead of white. I tried yours too but still the same result . I thought maybe I don’t beat the egg white enough, so I whipped the egg white more but I still do not get the snow white mixture like every body else does. Can you help? By the way with your recipe I add 50 gr. of honey and decrease the glucose to 478 gr.

    Thanks and happy new year.

    • hi Mehrak It may be the colour of the honey that is effecting the end result. The glucose syrup has no colour.

  20. Thanks so much for this recipe and video tutorial Ann! I just made nougat for the first time and it’s turned out great! Very happy! When I read that your recipe comes out rock hard, I wasn’t sure I was going to do it. I like soft nougat. I’d read some other recipes that suggested adding white chocolate to soften it a bit, so I put in 100g chopped chocolate just before adding the nuts and fruit. The nougat is still cooling on the bench, but the scraps in the bowl and on the whisk are yum and not rock hard. Soft-ish. 🙂 Thanks again for all your tutorials and for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

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