One of my close friends, upon tasting Muhammara (a Lebanese spread) for the first time, proclaimed… “this, this is what I’ve been missing my whole life!” That’s exactly how I felt when I tasted Italian Torrone for the first time. I was given a gift of a log or bar (however you want to call it) of torrone candy right before Halloween and I just couldn’t get over it, still can’t. This is absolutely the best candy I’ve tasted and I’m just so glad to have discovered it.
Once I tasted it, I knew I wanted to try and make this at home for some holiday gifts. So, my friend Annalise, who is way more of a pro than me, came and we stirred and stirred until our beautiful white torrone was ready. Once it set, I sliced the bars then wrapped them in parchment, using my friend Ana’s cute packaging for the perfect finishing touches.
Torrone is a all natural nougat candy. One of the best things about it is the simplicity and purity of the ingredients, no processed additions just honey, egg whites, and nuts. The torrone I first tasted comes form a company out of New York, Torrone.co. They are putting their spin on the Italian treat. I based my recipe on their ingredient list but decided to go for a more traditional Italian style torrone and forgo adding any sugar so this recipe is short and sweet – honey, egg whites, and nuts. Plus a little salt and vanilla but you can skip that too if you’d like. All you really need is those three ingredients and some time over the stove to stir.
How did my homemade version line up with the torrone I first tasted?! Mine was thinner, slightly harder and a little less sweet. I definitely won’t stop buying the real deal from Torrone but it was also a lot of fun to make it at home and we enjoyed every little bite that didn’t make it into our gifts. Torrone makes a perfect edible gift whether you spend the time to make this at home or if you buy some online.
Torrone is best made with good company in the kitchen. Alternatively, good music, or just some quiet brainless time of stirring is also a good pairing for the job!
Here are some packaging ideas for edible gifts from my friend Ana over at Welovecitrus:
•parchments paper and brown craft boxes make for a great blank canvas to start you packaging
•use colorful string or tape and small thoughtful labels
•small trees and pinecones are a fun added touch, also tiny herbs or greenery can go a long way
•use thin wire or small clothes pins to attach labels
check out welovecitrus on instagram for more packaging ideas
A traditional recipe for homemade Italian torrone, great for the holiday treats or gifts.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 bars or logs of torrone
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound of honey, use a high grade Italian honey for best results
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 pound of nuts, I use a mixture of almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, I used a white vanilla extract for this
Instructions
Cover a loaf pan or small square baking dish (8 inch by 8 inch) with parchment paper. Have another sheet of parchment paper ready to cover the top of the torrone once its done cooking.
Place the nuts on a single layer in a baking tray and toast in oven at 350º F, about 8 minutes or until shiny and fragrant. Set aside.
Place honey in a double boiler or large bowl over a saucepan of water (bain marie) on the lowest heat. Make sure the bowl is not touching the water. Heat honey until it melts, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
In the meantime, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks in a separate bowl.
Add the whites to the bowl of honey, stirring with the wooden spoon to incorporate. It should turn into a caramel-coloured cream. Keep cooking, stirring slowly but continuously over gentle heat for 45 minutes (It's best to just set a timer for this). The mixture should thicken and become pale. A small test should determine that your torrone is at a good stage – a drop of the mixture in a glass of water should solidify into a soft ball, not dissolve immediately.
Add the nuts, salt and vanilla to the mixture and continue cooking and stirring for 30 minutes(set the timer again so you make sure to cook for the full 30 minutes). Pour into your prepared baking dish. Top with additional parchment and smooth it down, pressing the torrone gently with your hands.
Place in a cool place to set for a couple of hours. When set, cut the torrone into thick slices with a sharp, heavy knife. Wrap in parchment tie with string or tape for the perfect homemade holiday gift. Keeps very well wrapped in parchment and stored somewhere cool.
To purchase Torrone go to Torrone.co
For cute packaging sets including tags and twine go to welovecitrus
Posted in
, Baking Confections, Dessert, Gluten Free, Paleo, Unprocessed, Vegan, Vegetarian
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FAQs
The difference in making hard and soft torrone is in the cooking time and the amount of egg whites used hard torrone is cooked up to ten hours whereas soft torrone is cooked for no more than three hours.
What's the difference between nougat and torrone? ›
Italy's version of nougat is called the torrone. Torrone is a form of white nougat that is very similar to soft nougat in many ways yet there are some differences. One difference between French nougat and torrone is that torrone is finished off with white icing on top after it has been made.
Is the paper on torrone edible? ›
It's made up of four things. White chocolate, marshmallow, almonds and rice paper (yes, you can eat the rice paper).
Does torrone need to be refrigerated? ›
The torrone can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, using parchment to line the container and separate layers.
How to make nougat harder? ›
“If you prefer the nougat to be a little bit firmer and you want to cut it into squares … heat it up a little bit more with a hairdryer.” Move the hairdryer around the bowl of the stand mixer continuously, so it doesn't burn.
Why is my homemade nougat too soft? ›
I was taught that in addition to having your sugar at the right temperature, it's important to test the nougat as you beat it, if it's cooling down and still not making a nice firm consistency when you put it in iced water, you need to apply heat to the bowl to evaporate more water from the mixture until you get the ...
What is the English name for torrone? ›
Translation of torrone – Italian–English dictionary
nougat [noun] a sticky kind of sweet containing nuts etc.
What is the shelf life of torrone? ›
How long does turrón last? As it's mainly made up of honey, sugar, and almonds (all shelf-stable products), turron is a very sturdy confectionery. It can easily last up to a year when properly stored.
Can turrón go bad? ›
The natural oil present in the almonds used to make turrón de jijona and turrón de Alicante means that it is normally kept in good condition. If we keep the turrón in a cool, dry and odour-free place, it can be kept in good condition for up to 1 year.
What are some fun facts about torrone? ›
The most romantic story is that it was invented in Cremona, in northern Lombardy, in the 15th century to commemorate the marriage of the Duke of Milan's daughter. Cooks molded the sweet in the shape of the city's famous towers, called torrione, and the rest was history.
He may also be responsible for why we eat it at Christmas time because legend has it that the emperor always ate an exotic sweet, perhaps torrone, on his birthday, that is, on December 26.
How do you store torrone? ›
How should torrone be stored? To preserve its quality, it is advisable to store torrone in a cool and dry location. If you plan to keep it for an extended period of time, you may opt to freeze hard torrone.
How do you eat torrone? ›
Today, many varieties exist: soft and hard, classic or with chocolate, with almonds, hazelnuts or occasionally pistachios. Torrone is often served with an after-dinner amaro (bitters), a sambuca (a sweet anise-tasting digestivo), or a liquor, such as Strega.
What's the difference between torrone and Turron? ›
One of the differences between turrón and italian torrone is the proportion of nuts they contain: Spanish turrón has a minimum of 60% almonds, a higher percentage than Italian torrone. However, turrón and torrone probably have a similar origin, and there's little doubt it is Moorish.
What part of Italy is torrone from? ›
Abruzzo is home to torrone di Guardiagrele, a crunchy nougat made with whole toasted almonds mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and candied fruit. Gennaro Nurzia created a tender chocolate and hazelnut torrone in 1835, which today is produced in the towns Aquila and Sulmona.
Why does nougat get hard? ›
If your candy comes out harder or softer than you'd like, try adjusting the syrup temperature the next time. Weather also plays a part in the outcome of nougat. Nougat is best made on a cool, dry day, as humidity can noticeably affect the texture of the nougat and its shelf life.
What makes nougat hard? ›
As a result, the hotter the sugar syrup becomes, the more concentrated it is. By concentrating the sugar syrup you're making it thicker and more viscous. This is crucial for your final nougat. You want a syrup that's thick enough to make a firm nougat, without being so firm, the nougat becomes crunchy.
What is the texture of torrone? ›
One of the best—and most perplexing—things about torrone is the number of different varieties you'll find. The candy is usually labeled either morbido (soft) or friabile (crunchy), but within those two categories there's a wide range of textures, from melting and cloudlike all the way to shatteringly crisp.
How do you make nougat soft again? ›
If you put them in a humid environment they'll absorb moisture. If you have a deep enough bowl with a lid, put a glass of water in the middle and surround the glass with the candies. Keep the lidded bowl in a room-temperature place for a few days where it won't be bumped (you don't want the water to spill...).
