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.
Is the paper on torrone edible? ›
Cover the top surface of the candy with a single piece of edible wafer paper, trimmed to fit the pan.
Does torrone need to be refrigerated? ›
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.
What is Italian torrone made of? ›
Classic torrone from Cremona contains honey, almonds, hazelnuts, sugar, egg whites, and wafers, in hard and soft styles. The cooking times of the two differ—hard torrone bakes for up to ten hours, while the soft version doesn't exceed three.
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.
What is 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.
What is the English name for torrone? ›
Translation of torrone – Italian–English dictionary
nougat [noun] a sticky kind of sweet containing nuts etc.
Can turrón go bad? ›
Texture: Fresh turron should have a consistent texture, whether it's soft and chewy or hard and brittle, depending on the type. If it feels unusually hard or too soft, it might be past its prime. Smell: Turron should have a sweet, nutty aroma. Any off or rancid smell indicates that it's time to discard it.
What's the difference between torrone and Halva? ›
What is the difference between torrone and Halva? Torrone is a Spanish-type nougat made with honey or sugar, eggs, and toasted almonds, while Halva is a Middle Eastern sweet with a similar consistency but is not classified as nougat.
Does torrone expire? ›
How to preserve nougat once it has been opened? 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.
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.
What is the famous Italian nougat? ›
Torrone is a cream-colored confection of sugar, honey and egg whites speckled with toasted, sliced almonds. While it is normally a treat eaten around the holidays, torrone can be enjoyed any time of the year.
How do you eat a torrone? ›
Torrone is often served as a dessert after dinner, paired with a hot beverage, or with a glass of Digestivo liqueur, most often with herbal flavor, like Amaro or Sambuca.
What is the difference between turrón and nougat? ›
Turron is a traditional Spanish desset made with almonds, honey, sugar, and egg whites. It is similar to nougat, but typically firmer and more brittle. Turron comes in various types, such as hard and crunchy or soft and chewy, and can be flavored with other ingredients such as chocolate, fruits, and spices.
Which country eats turrón? ›
Turrón or torró has been known at least since the 15th century in the city of Jijona/Xixona (formerly Sexona), north of Alicante. Turrón is commonly consumed in most of Spain, some countries of Latin America, and in Roussillon (France). The similar torrone is typical of Sicily, Cremona and Benevento, in Italy.
Why does nougat get hard? ›
The temperature : You will find that recipes vary in the temperature they use to make nougat. The temperature listed in the recipe is the one that I used. 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.
What is the texture of torrone? ›
A soft nougat made of sugar, honey, egg whites, and toasted almonds or hazelnuts, torrone is a typical sweet enjoyed in Italy around the holidays. Its texture can vary from duro – crunchy and hard – to morbido – soft and chewy. Sometimes it is covered in chocolate or flavored with spices, too.
What is the difference between hard and soft nougat? ›
There are two standard varieties of nougat and many variations in between: soft nougat (tendre), which is chewy but substantial, and hard nougat (dur), which is initially crunchy but dissolves grudgingly as you chew.
What are the different types 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.
