Nougat Candy - Happy Candy for Tet's Reunion

Nougat is a very hot name in the past few years. When Tet comes, people and families all love Nougat!

Nougat has been known in the Middle East since ancient times, then it was brought to Marseille by the Greeks, which became the center of this candy production in Provence in the Middle Ages. At that time, candy was made from nuts, hence the Latin name nux gatum (cake made from nuts), then it was called nougo and finally nougat. It was not until the early 18th century that nougat appeared in Montélimar thanks to the work of Olivier de Serres, the biologist who successfully planted almond trees in this area. As almonds became popular, confectioners began to replace the walnuts commonly found in nougat with almonds, making the town of Montélimar the center of nougat production.

In my opinion, for bakery and confectionery products, each person will have a different specific recipe. Based on a basic recipe, the maker will add ingredients to suit their taste and personal preferences to create their own dish without losing the inherent characteristics of that dish! And I made Nougat successful from the first time with a little variation in candy color when adding cocoa powder.

Nougat candy consists of 80% nuts and dried fruit and the remaining 20% ​​is a binder. According to the origin, the binder will be mixed from egg whites and cooking sugar (can be algae sugar or normal refined sugar) with a little honey! The technique of beating and mixing also requires a lot of meticulous, careful and skillful hands!

However, Nougat makers have another way to make a binder using #marshmallow with butter and instant milk powder full cream! This way is more convenient for the majority of people, and that's why this candy is also called "Happy Milk Candy".

Either way, Nougat candies have the same characteristics as bright colors (makes eaters feel happy when looking at them ^^), clean, nutty and aromatic flavors of nuts, sour taste and the sweetness of the dried fruit, and certainly a bit of the binder sweetness! In terms of softness or hardness, it depends on personal preference!

The basic recipe has also been shared quite a lot, so today I would like to share my experience when making #Nougat according to the recipe using #marshmallow and mine (very little sweet and soft):

💚 Ingredients:

• 150g unsalted butter (light butter)
• 300g marshmallows
• 10g cocoa powder
• 150-200gr mix of dried nuts such as: almonds, macadamia, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, strawberries, kiwi, raisins, copra... (I like many kernels so I added more nuts).

💚 How to make Nougat:
Step 1: Prepare nuts:

• Preheat the oven and bake the dried nuts at 170 degrees for 7 minutes. (or put them on the stove to roast)
• For large nuts like almonds and walnuts, I cut them into 2-3 pieces before mixing.
• For nuts and dried fruits like grapes, I soak them in warm water for 5 minutes, pat dry to make the candy less sweet and softer.

Step 2: Mix the candy:

• Melt the butter over low heat, then add the massmallows and stir until the candies are melted (keep the heat low).
• Add the coloring powder (cocoa, green tea, ..) in, stir until they are evenly dissolved
• Divide the instant milk powder full cream into 2-3 parts and add them one by one and stir well until they are completely dissolved
• Add the mixed nuts and stir until all ingredients are mixed and turn off the heat.

Step 3: Shape the candy and finish:

• Pour the mixture into the mold and leave it in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours for the candy to harden.
• Then take out the candy and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

💚 A few notes:

• Should buy ingredients at stores with clear brands and origins.
• Marshmallows should be white in color so that they can be easily mixed to your liking.
• Unsalted butter should be used with delicious butter and a little yellow in color (because it will be difficult to color candy if you use butter that is too yellow).
• Should use instant milk powder full cream less sweet or not sweet and completely white.
• You can add nuts and dried fruits to your liking! In my opinion, the fewer nuts, the more "squishy" the candy will be when cut.

Referring to candy, it refers to the fear of dieters (fear of sweets, fear of fat). Don't worry though, Nougat's sweetness comes from the marshmallow, while the marshmallow is made from cane sugar and gelatin, which doesn't contain any fat ingredients. So don't worry. Moreover, Nougat candy is mainly made from nuts ^^

Good luck. Since these beautiful candies are called “Happy Candies”, I wish the makers, recipients and eaters happiness too!