I have been doing a lot of baking recently and decided I wanted to make something I had not made before… flipping through a few magazines I settled on making some Nougat. It is something fairly simple to make but quite fun at the same time. Some tips I took away for making it next time, make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go, once the sugar mixture hits the right temperature (130 degrees!) it’s a bit late to be cracking eggs and faffing around! Also, line the baking tin you will be using! The Nougat was a bugger to get out, although, I did manage to get it out in one piece and still looking pretty flash! Have a go at the recipe and feel free to change the last 3 ingredients to whatever you fancy!

2x A4 Sheets of Rice Paper (or whatever size you require to cover your tin)
550g Caster Sugar
360g Glucose
115g Honey
1tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Egg Whites (Room Temp)
100g Softened Butter

(Now you decide on the filling, I used)
100g Almonds, sliced
75g Shredded Coconut
160g Dried Cranberries

Line a 20cm square tin with grease proof paper, ensuring it over hangs all four sides. Trim the Rice Paper to completely cover the base of the tin.

Place the Sugar, Glucose, Honey and Vanilla Extract in a large saucepan, place on a gentle heat until everything has melted. Once melted, turn up the heat to high and boil the mixture for around 7-8 minutes. You need the sugar to reach approximately 130˚C. Once it reaches about 120˚C begin whisking the egg whites in a stand mixer up to stiff peaks (you really need a standmixer for this as hand beaters will not have the power to whisk the mixture as it is VERY thick!).

Once you have stiff peaks and the mix is at the right temperature, slowly add the sugar mixture to the egg whites whilst continuing to mix. It should grow in volume and begin thick and shiny. Once all the sugar is incorporated beat for a further minute then gradually add the softened butter a knob at a time.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, turn the machine off. Working very quickly, as the mixture will start to set, add the Almond, Coconut and Dried Cranberries and fold through, ensuring you get an even coverage. Spoon the mixture into a lined tin and press flat with a spatula or another tin if you have one. Be careful as it will still be quite hot! Cover the top with Rice Paper and leave to set somewhere cool, this is best left over night.

To portion, you can get about 20 squares out of the block. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut out and store in an air tight container (lined with grease proof paper) in the fridge!

Let me know what you think and what combinations of fillings you use and ENJOY!