Chocolate box chocolates always have such an air of mystery around them. How to make chocolate box chocolates doesn't have to be one of them. This soft strawberry nougat is an incredible addition to your candy offerings. It is light and fluffy, and seems almost impossibly soft. It is a perfect center for your chocolate box chocolates as well as wrapped confection in your candy dish.
Chocolate box chocolates are one of the most preferred gifts to give on Valentine’s Day. There is an allure to chocolate that is romantic, it’s an edible declaration of love that makes the recipients of chocolate feel special. This luscious strawberry nougat melts in your mouth in a burst of flavors.
If you are a nougat lover, try my browned butter nougat or peanut butter nougat. Both would make an amazing addition to your box of homemade chocolates.
Ingredients
Nougat is broken down into three parts while cooking. All of these go together during the same cooking process, but you must do them in the correct order to get the desired finished product. Start with your egg white meringue.
Egg white meringue
Don’t be intimidated by this. For the egg white meringue, combine glucose syrup and egg whites in your mixer. After they are combined, turn the mixer off while the syrup starts to cook. Corn syrup maybe used instead of glucose syrup.
Syrup slurry
This syrup cooks up nicely in about 25 minutes. It is made from sugar, glucose syrup, water, salt, and strawberry puree. You do need a candy thermometer and will have to stir the whole time. It is important to pay attention while it’s cooking, because you start to whip your egg whites BEFORE you hit your final temperature. Once you hit the final temperature, stream the hot syrup into the whipping egg whites. Corn syrup may be used instead of glucose syrup.
Fats, Flavors, Finishers
Donut sugar, liquid coconut oil, and strawberry flavor. This is what gives the nougat its personality.
See recipe card for quantities. Powdered sugar may be used instead of donut sugar.
Sugar Inversion
This nougat gets most of its soft texture from the strawberry puree. The strawberry puree is acidic, so it softens the cooked sugar mass quite a bit. If you are going to dip these in chocolate, I recommend doing it within 48 hours of cooking (after the 12 hour rest!). You still can dip these after 48 hours, but they might be a little bit sticky when you cut them.
Why does the nougat have to rest?
This nougat is grained - meaning it has a short texture. When you cut into it, the flow is very minimal and it retains its shape. The grain comes from the donut sugar. It needs 12 hours to rest to work its magic in the candy.
Why bottom the nougat before dipping it completely?
Bottoming is important because otherwise the nougat will stick to the dipping fork and you won’t be able to get the piece of nougat off. The bottom provides a nice place for the dipping fork to sit and slide off of.
Instructions for how to make chocolate box chocolates
Hint: Chocolate dipping forks make dipping centers in chocolate much easier.
Substitutions
- Corn syrup - corn syrup may be used instead of glucose syrup
- Powdered sugar - powdered sugar may be used instead of donut sugar
- Milk chocolate - milk chocolate may be used instead of dark chocolate
Variations
If you want to make this nougat and not dip it in chocolate, it is a great stand alone confection. Cut the nougat into 0.75" x 2.5" pieces and wrap in either cello candy wrappers, wax paper, or parchment paper.
Equipment
- 5 quart planetary mixer
- High heat spatula or wooden spoon
- 9 x 13 sheet pan
- Candy thermometer
- Heavy duty pot
- Glass bowl for chocolate tempering and dipping
- Chocolate dipping fork
Storage and shelf life
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. Shelf life is 4 months.
Top tip for how to make chocolate box chocolates
Go slowly when you are pouring your hot syrup into the whipping egg whites. If you pour too quickly, the egg whites will deflate and your nougat will not be fluffy.
Related to how to make chocolate box chocolates
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Chocolate box chocolates: Strawberry Nougat
Equipment
- 5 quart planetary stand mixer
Ingredients
Egg White Meringue
- 60 grams egg whites (2 egg whites)
- 100 grams glucose syrup
Syrup Slurry
- 300 grams Sugar
- 180 grams Strawberry Puree
- 250 grams glucose syrup
- 360 grams Water
- 3 grams Salt
Graining Agents & Fats
- 200 grams Donut sugar Powdered sugar can be used
- 50 grams Liquid Vegetable Oil
- 8 grams Strawberry Flavor
Instructions
Set up and Egg White Meringue
- Prepare a 9 x 13" pan with lightly oiled parchment paper. Set aside
- Weigh out donut sugar, liquid vegetable oil, and flavor. Set aside.
- In a 5 quart planetary mixing bowl, combine glucose syrup and egg whites. Mix on low for 20 seconds to combine the glucose syrup and egg whites. Turn off mixer.
Syrup Slurry
- In a heavy duty, thick bottomed pot, combine sugar, glucose syrup, water, salt, and strawberry puree. Turn heat to medium and begin stirring. You will stir this whole time.
- When syrup reaches 234F, turn your mixer speed to high. Continue to cook and stir your syrup as the egg white meringue whips.
- Cook syrup mixture into 256F. Turn off heat. Leave the 5 quart mixer on high.
- With the egg whites whipping, slowly stream syrup slurry into the egg whites. You need to do this slowly so it does not collapse the meringue.
- Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, mix on high for four additional minutes.
- Turn mixer to low.
Fats, Finishers, Flavors
- Add in liquid vegetable oil and flavor. Mix for 30 seconds. Add in powdered sugar. Turn mixer to high for an additional 30 seconds.
- Pour on prepared parchment. Top with an additional sheet of lightly oiled parchment paper, smoothing out the nougat underneath.
- Let nougat sit for 12 hours before using further. Nougat can be wrapped as an individual item, used in a candy bar layer, or dipped in chocolate.
Dipping in chocolate
- Cut nougat in 1” x 1” squares, using a sharp, oiled, knife or pizza cutter. After you cut a square, place it on a lightly oiled piece of parchment paper before moving to the next square to cut.
- Instructions. Melt ½ of your dark chocolate in a microwaveable safe glass bowl in 30 second intervals. Melt until chocolate is fluid and reaches 113F. Add in half the remaining chocolate, stirring it until it melts. Add in remaining chocolate, stirring it until it melts. Chocolate temperature should be between 90-94F after all chocolate has been added.
- Bottom strawberry nougat square by picking up the strawberry nougat square and sliding it along the spatula you used to temper your chocolate.
- Place bottomed nougat on non-oiled parchment paper. Repeat until all nougat pieces have been bottomed.
- Retemper chocolate if chocolate has cooled too much to fully dip nougat. You do not need to refrigerate nougat squares if you are retempering chocolate.
- Fully dip strawberry nougat square into chocolate. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool and harden. Do not refrigerate.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!