Homemade Chewy Sticky Nougat (with Hazelnuts)
Master this classic South African homemade nougat! Featuring a delightfully chewy and sticky texture with crunchy hazelnuts, it's the perfect sweet treat for sharing or gifting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazel nuts coarsely chopped
- 2 cups sugar white
- 2 egg whites
- 375 ml light corn syrup
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 62.5 ml butter
- 1 ml salt
Instructions
- Combine the corn syrup, sugar, salt and water in heavy-bottomed saucepan and simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring to boil and boil without stirring, until a small amount dropped in very cold water forms a hardball.
- Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until stiff but not dry, then little by little beat in ¼ of the corn syrup mixture and continue beating until the mixture holds its shape.
- Boil the remaining syrup until the mixture reaches the hard-crack stage, then beat little by little into the first mixture.
- Continue beating until the mixture begins to hold its shape.
- Stir in the vanilla essence and the butter or margarine and beat until very thick and creamy.
- Stir in the nuts and pour into a buttered square 200 mm pan, smoothing the top, and let stand until firm.
- Turn out of the pan and cut into 2 cm pieces.
Notes
-
- Storage: Store your homemade nougat in an airtight container at room temperature. Place layers of baking paper or edible rice paper between slices to prevent them from sticking together.
- Shelf Life: Properly stored, nougat will typically keep well for up to 2-3 weeks.
- Cutting: For easy cutting, use a sharp, oiled knife or a pizza cutter. Cleaning the knife frequently will prevent sticking and give you cleaner cuts.
- Serving: Enjoy your sticky nougat as a delightful stand-alone sweet, as part of a dessert platter, or finely chopped and sprinkled over ice cream or other desserts.