Italian Nut and Nougat Confection Recipe

Homemade sweet treats are always good, especially homemade torrone! This Italian Christmas candy with roasted nuts is sweet, chewy and delicious. Italian nut nougat is also simple to prepare. Famous soft torrone comes from Alba, Siena, Cremona, and Benevento, but you can make your own white nougat which is just as tasty with almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans.
Honey and citrus are key components of Christmas-style Italian nougat candy. Nuts are widely used and you can choose from almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans. Mixed nuts would be good in torrone Italian candy too.

Italian nut nougat can be hard or soft and medium-sweet or very sweet. You can even find chocolate covered white nougat in Italy. Store-bought or homemade torrone is typically served after lunch or dinner around Christmastime. Many Italian families serve it with mandarin oranges or with dried dates or figs. Once you know how to make torrone, you will want to make this perfect edible gift all the time.
If there is any left over after the festivities, it can be chopped and used in cheesecake, semifreddo or sprinkled over ice cream. Chocolate torrone and homemade nougat is really versatile, another reason to make your own Italian candy!

Nougat and torrone are different terms for the same thing. But what exactly is traditional torrone and what’s the best way to make this sweet confection?
Similar to meringue in terms of ingredients, not texture, nougat is served by itself or as part of candy bars and other desserts. It various from light and airy to chewy and stiff. It’s made with egg whites, honey (sometimes sugar instead of honey, or both) and fruit and/or nuts. Ingredients like whole almonds and edible wafer paper are often used in Christmas nougat.

Nougat-making goes back hundreds of years in the Middle East and Europe. It might not be the easiest dessert to make but it’s not hard as long as you have the right ingredients and equipment. You will need a layer of wafer paper and a candy thermometer for the perfect torrone too. I am all the details for how to make nougat here!

INGREDIENTS

2 Sheets wafer paper cut to fit 8×8 pan
12 Ounces honey
1 2/3 Cup white sugar
3 egg whites at room temperature
1 Dash salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract clear for a whiter torrone
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
3 Cups nuts roasted almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

CONTINUE READING ON THE NEXT PAGE 🥰💕