Together with panettone, pandoro and Prosecco there is something that can never miss at an Italian Christmas dinner table: the “torrone” or nougat.
Traditionally nougat is white, made of sugar, honey and nuts; it can be soft or hard. But you can also find chocolate ones which are quite easy to make at home. It might take a little while as you have to heat the honey for a couple of hours but it is well worth it.
It can make a beautiful Christmas present and you can make it right now as it lasts well while wrapped in kitchen foil. I have already made mine to have on Christmas day. It is really addictive. Make yours too!
- Prep Time : 3 hours + 8 hours to set minutes
- Cook Time : 2 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- dark chocolate – 250 g
- vanilla essence – 1 tbsp
- sugar – 120 g
- water – 30 g
- runny honey – 100 g
- hazelnuts – 200 g
Instructions
Put the honey in a small sauce pan or in a ceramic bowl; now place it over a larger pan filled with little water and bring to the boil. Keep the heat at a minimum so that the honey will gently cook and reduce. It should also turn darker in colour. It will need to cook for a couple of hours.
Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 170C for about 15-20 minutes. Then take them out of the oven and with the help of a clean tea towel remove the skins. Then put the hazelnuts back in the switched off oven to keep them warm
Twenty minutes before the honey is ready put the sugar and the water in a sauce pan and crystallize the sugar over a very gentle heat. Make sure you stir it all the time. The sugar needs to almost completely crystallize
Now melt the chocolate by placing it in a ceramic bowl over a larger sauce pan with simmering water
Now pour the sugar over the honey, then add the melted chocolate, the vanilla extract and finally 3/4 of the hazelnuts.
Mix well and pour it into a small rectangular dish covered with kitchen paper leveling it well
Put the remaining hazelnuts on top and let it set for about 8 hours
It will last well for a long time wrapped in kitchen foil.
My Little Italian Kitchen 
The ingredient list is so short and simple! I love the final outcome and it sounds delicious. Perfect for making as a holiday treat or gift…
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wow Alida, this is TERRIFIC! I bet this is addictive…well, it’s holiday season!!
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Did you pour the sugar over honey or honey over sugar? Because I saw you have the whole mass in the pan of crystalized sugar.
Can I skip the darkening honey step..and just add warmed honey to the sugar mixture?
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Angie,
I poured the honey over the sugar as it is crystallized therefore harder to scrape off the pan.
It would be best to reduce the honey over simmering water for 2 hours otherwise you will get a mixture that’s too runny. I know this will take longer though but I must say that I did not need to stir the honey very much whilst it was cooking. X
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Ma quanto è buono, non l’ho ancora fatto, proverò la tua ricetta, è deliziosa! Un abbraccio!
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I love how generous this is, lovely idea.
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I always get so nervous when cooking with sugar and honey, Alida. I worry I will burn it! Your torrone looks amazing. I bet it sure does taste pretty darn good too.
Thank you so much for sharing, Alida..
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What a super and unusual gift idea. I love soft nougat and am so excited by this recipe. Definitely making this. looks so pretty and must taste divine.
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Thank you Nazima. This is definitely something I will make again!
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What a delicious homemade gift you nougat would make. Lovely recipe, found you over at Tin & Thyme’s Christmas Recipe Advent Calendar.
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Thank you Sarah!
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Thank you Sarah James 🙂
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Hi! Do you let it set at room temperature or does it need to be refrigerated?
Also, do you need to temper the chocolate to prevent the nougat from turning white? (blooming)
Planning on preparing this soon 🙂
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Hello Ana, I set it at room temperature but you can put it in the fridge if you like. I did not temper the chocolate but it is a good idea to do it.
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