Nougat with Almonds, White Chocolate, and Chocolate Chips
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Sweet, chewy, and packed with irresistible flavor! This homemade nougat is loaded with crunchy almonds, creamy white chocolate, and rich chocolate chips for the perfect bite every time. It’s an easy no bake treat that’s perfect for holidays, gift giving, or satisfying your sweet tooth!
Many years ago I was part of a group that challenged us to made incredible desserts that I would never otherwise have ever made. One of the first challenges was for homemade nougat.
Now, I’m no stranger to homemade candy. I make fudge on the regular and my favorites are Old Fashioned S’mores Fudge and my Blueberry Pie Fudge. I also make a killer Honeycomb Candy whenever I have the time. Thanks to my sons gummy bear obsession I’ve ever learned how to make Homemade Gummy Bears.
When I heard we were making nougat I thought of candy bars like 3 Musketeers and Milky Way bars. That’s really the only time I can think of that I had nougat.
What is Nougat?
Nougat is a sweet, chewy candy that’s typically made from a combination of sugar, corn syrup or honey, whipped egg whites, and nuts. Depending on the recipe, it can range from soft and fluffy to firm and chewy. Nougat is enjoyed around the world and is found in many popular candies. It’s also delicious on its own as a homemade treat or packaged as a gift during the holiday season.
The one thing I needed to figure out was what I wanted to add to the nougat. My first thought was chocolate and my second thought was caramel but I didn’t have caramel in the house. I decided to go with chocolate, white chocolate, and almonds.
I prepared all of the ingredients, got my KitchenAid mixer out, got the mix ins ready and thought I was good to go. Everything started out well. I placed the eggs in the mixer and the syrup ingredients on the stove.
The syrup came up to temperature beautifully and I was able to temp it with my candy thermometer. Do not attempt this recipe if you do not have a candy thermometer. You will need to get the temperature to 290 degrees which is the soft crack stage.
What is the soft crack stage?
The soft crack stage is a phase in candy making where the sugar syrup reaches 270–290°F. At this point, most of the water has evaporated, and the syrup will harden into flexible treats as it cools. This is how you make chewy toffee, saltwater taffy, butterscotch candies, or nougat.
Just when I thought everything was going well disaster struck. When I started pouring my syrup into the eggs the syrup immediately hardened and the beater started hurling the mixture against the bowl. I thought my poor mixer was going to break.
I immediately turned off the mixer and didn’t know what to do. I thought I had ruined the nougat. I was ready to throw in the towel when I thought I’d pour in some more of the hot syrup and hope for the best.
Turns out the remaining hot syrup worked to soften what was in the bowl and the nougat finally came together. Whew! Disaster adverted. Keep this in mind if your mixture hardens immediately. It can be fixed!
So the nougat whipped up just fine and I mixed in the almonds without any problems. When I mixed in the white chocolate and chocolate chips some of them melted and made swirls in the nougat but the rest stayed firm. I actually thought this looked really cool!
Ingredients:
- egg whites
- granulated sugar
- cream of tartar
- honey
- light corn syrup
- water
- vanilla extract
- salted butter (I prefer salted in sweet desserts)
- sliced almonds
- chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
The nougat firmed up in about 30 minutes and when I sliced it up it looked beautiful! The swirls of chocolate and white chocolate looked beautiful along with the almonds.
The taste was amazing too. It’s reminiscent of the nougat you get in candy bars but much sweeter and the nougat almost melts in your mouth. It’s delicious and I can’t wait to try the chocolate nougat next!
How do you store homemade nougat?
Homemade nougat stores best in a cool, dry place away from heat and humidity. Wrap the pieces individually in parchment paper and then place in an air tight container. You can even freeze the nougat if you wrap the pieces individually, place in a freezer bag or air tight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Homemade Nougat Candy
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meringue:
- 2 large egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
For the syrup:
- 1 cup honey
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
For the add-ins:
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray and place the almonsd in a single layer. Place in the oven to toast, stirring occasionally, while you continue the recipe.
- Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a mixer combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Do not begin mixing yet.
- Heat the honey in a small saucepan until simmering.
- Combine the remaining syrup ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, water, and vanilla) in a large saucepan. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and add a candy thermometer. Cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 290 degrees.
- Once the syrup reaches 290 degrees, start whipping the egg whites on high speed and move the syrup off the heat.
- Pour the honey into the syrup mixture then put the pan back on the heat until the mixture reached 290 degrees.
- With the mixer beating the egg whites on medium high, slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites, letting it run down the inside of the bowl. Whip on high for 3 minutes.
- Add in the melted butter and mix just until the nougat is smooth.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Take the hot nuts out of the oven and add them to the nougat. Quickly mix with a spatula until the almonds are evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle in the chocolate and white chocolate chips and fold in just until combined. Some of them will melt and that’s ok.
- Quickly pour the nougat into the prepared pan. Use another piece of parchment paper to smooth it into the pan. Allow to cool for 30-35 minutes or until it’s just warm to touch. Do not let it cool completely or it will be difficult to remove from the pan.
- Place the nougat on a cutting board and cut into 40 squares. Wrap the nougat individually or store in an air tight container in a single layer.
Notes
Your nougat looks so pretty! yummy!
You really can’t go wrong with nougat, and I love nuts! Looks delicious!