If nougat was a love language, nougat, especially chocolate nougat, would be one of mine. It's fluffy with a light and chewy bite that's slightly denser than a marshmallow.
This nougat is finished off with 100% bittersweet chocolate and a blend of powdered sugar and cocoa power. It's a perfect layer in your candy bars or as a stand alone confection.
What is nougat?
Nougat is an amazing confection that is very popular outside of the United States, but really has only gained popularity as a candy bar layer in the US. I'm here to change that. Making nougat is similar to making meringues or macarons. Once you do it, you'll be amazed at how easy it is, and I bet you'll be looking to make this peanut butter nougat or strawberry nougat.
Nougat is broken down into three parts when cooking:
- Egg white meringue
- Syrup slurry
- Finishers: fats, flavors if using, graining agents
This sounds more complicated that it is. All you are doing is whipping egg whites and streaming hot syrup into them, and then adding powdered sugar and a liquid fat at the end. Don't let this scare you off- the end result is worth it!
Nougat definitely doesn't get enough love in the United States. Learn a little more about nougat here!
Prep your chocolate nougat ingredients
Having your ingredients weighed out and divide into meringue, syrup slurry, and ending flavors and finishers will move throughout the nougat making process with ease.
Egg white meringue: corn syrup and egg whites. You'll combine these in the bowl of a 5 quart planetary mixer.
Syrup slurry: sugar, corn syrup, water
Finishers: unsweetened chocolate, powdered sugar, cocoa
What equipment do I need for chocolate nougat?
- thick bottomed pot
- candy thermometer
- high heat spatula or wooden spoon
- 5 quart planetary mixer with wire whisk attachment
- kitchen scale
- parchment paper
- 9" x 13" sheet pan (a casserole dish can also be used)
Steps of chocolate nougat making.
1. Combine your egg whites in corn syrup in the mixing bowl. Mix gently but do not begin to whip. Once mixed turn your mixer off.
2. Start cooking the syrup (water, sugar, and corn syrup). At 232F, turn your mixer to high speed and continue cooking the syrup.
3. At 252F, stop cooking the syrup and slowly stream slurry into egg whites. I mean SLOWLY stream the hot syrup into the whipping egg whites. Don't go too fast- you don't want to collapse your meringue.
4. Mix for 4 more minutes once all the syrup has been added on high speed. After 4 minutes, turn the mixer to low speed.
5. Add in melted chocolate, cocoa, and powdered sugar. Mix for 30 more seconds on high to bring nougat back together.
6. Spread on greased parchment
7. Top with an additional sheet of greased parchment.
Nougat must sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours before cutting. Nougat must sit before cutting to get the sugar to grain and the texture to shorten. If you were to cut it before this, the bars would lose their shape and flow. Allowing it to cool and grain makes for easy cutting and dipping.
What size do I cut these?
Totally up to you! If you are cutting and wrapping just the nougat, I recommend 0.75" wide by 1.25" long.
How do I wrap chocolate nougat?
I like to use these cello candy wrappers. They are precut into 5" x 5" and make wrapping very easy. You can also use parchment paper pieces or wax paper pieces
Storage and shelf life of chocolate nougat:
Nougat has a long shelf life. Store in an airtight container, this will last between 9-12 months, if you can keep it around that long!
Chocolate Nougat
Equipment
- 5 quart planetary stand mixer
- high heat spatula or wooden spoon
- 9 x 13 sheet pan or casserole dish
Ingredients
EGG WHITE MERINGUE
- 60 gram egg whites 2 large eggs
- 100 gram corn syrup
- 3 grams vanilla bean paste
SYRUP SLURRY
- 670 gram corn syrup
- 580 gram sugar
- 180 gram water
FLAVORS AND GRAINING SUGARS
- 400 grams unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 80 grams powdered sugar, sifted
- 80 grams cocoa powder, sifted
Instructions
- Combine cocoa powder and sugar, set aside.
- Heat unsweetened chocolate until fluid, set aside.
Egg whip
- In a 5 qt stand mixer, combine 100 grams of corn syrup and egg whites. Mix until combined but do not whip.
Syrup slurry
- Combine 580 grams of sugar, 670 grams of corn syrup, and water in a thick bottomed saucepan. Begin cooking over high heat.
- When sugar syrup reaches 231F, begin whipping egg white mixture on high. Continue cooking syrup until 249F. Remove from heat.
Finishing it off
- Slowly stream in hot syrup into egg whites while whipping. Continue whipping on high for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, turn mixture to low. Add in vanilla, powdered sugar/ cocoa mix, and fluid chocolate. Mix until combined.
- Spread nougat on oiled parchment in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover lightly with a greased sheet of parchment paper. Let rest for 12 hours or overnight.
Cutting and wrapping
- Cut into 0.75" wide x 1.25" long pieces (or desired size) and wrap in cello candy wrappers. You can also wrap in cut parchment or wax paper.
Storage and shelf life
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Shelf life is 9 to 12 months.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!