Fransknougat: French Nougat

Fransknougat means French Nougat in Swedish. I first made this recipe when I worked at a restaurant in Napa, California. Yes, I gave a Swedish name to a French confection whose recipe I obtained in the United States. In my defense, French nougat is a highly popular Christmas treat here in Sweden. I have prepared it in both restaurants and bakeries in Stockholm, but each time I used the Californian recipe. It’s an international phenomenon!

French Nougat

This nougat is incredibly delicious. It is chewy, nutty, sweet—I absolutely love it. Often, when I’ve made it in bakeries, I dipped the cut pieces in tempered dark chocolate, which made it even more indulgent and delicious. However, I don’t do this at home because I find tempering chocolate to be a pain in the butt, and I don’t enjoy it.

A warning, kinda

This recipe is definitely not for the faint of heart. There is a lot happening all at once. All the syrups need to reach the correct temperature at the right time for everything to work. Make sure you read the recipe several times and watch the video multiple times before attempting it! And I’m not saying that for the views! I have made this many times, and as a professional pastry chef, I still feel frazzled while making it. Also, as I mention with every candy recipe, it is crucial to exercise caution when working with hot sugar syrups. The syrup reaches extremely high temperatures, so please be very careful throughout the entire process. 

Don’t let my warnings discourage you! This is a fun project with an absolutely delicious result!

Make it your own

You can make this with pretty much any combination of nuts (or seeds!) you can think of. For this recipe, I have chosen my three favorite nuts: pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts. It would be equally delicious with cashews or peanuts. Personally, I think walnuts can be a bit bitter and overwhelming, but if you like them, go ahead and throw them in!

Although this isn’t strictly a Christmas recipe, I believe projects like Fransknougat: French Nougat are most enjoyable and appreciated around the holidays. It makes for a great gift, as the nougat keeps well when wrapped in paper and stored in a box or tin at room temperature for over a month.

Print Recipe

Fransknougat: French Nougat

Fransknougat is Swedish for French Nougat. It is a delicious candy that’s chewy and filled with toasted nuts like pecans, pistachios, and hazelnuts. This recipes isn’t for the faint of heart but is well worth the effort!

Ingredients

• 415 g sugar
• 125 g water
• 90 g glucose
• 250 g honey
• 50 g egg whites
• 20 g sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 250 g nuts pecans, pistachios, and hazelnuts

Instructions

• Begin by oiling a casserole dish to prevent sticking. If your dish is already non-stick, oiling it is still recommended due to the sticky nature of the nougat. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the pan and line it. Oil the parchment paper as well and set the form aside.
• Zest one lemon and set it aside. Next, toast a mixture of pecans, pistachios, and hazelnuts in the oven until they turn light golden brown. Once toasted, open the oven door to release the heat, but leave the nuts in the warm oven to keep them warm (not hot) until they are added to the nougat later. Propping the oven door open with a wooden spoon can help maintain the warm temperature.
• In a pot, mix together 415 grams of sugar, 125 grams of water, and 90 grams of glucose. In a separate pot, pour in 250 grams of honey. Into the bowl of your stand mixer, add 50 grams of egg whites.
• Boil the sugar and glucose mixture until it reaches 114°C (237°F). As soon as it reaches this temperature, pour 20 grams of sugar into the egg whites and begin whipping them. Start with medium-high speed to avoid whipping the whites to stiff peaks before adding the syrups. Adjust the speed as needed based on your stand mixer’s performance.
• Begin boiling the honey as soon as you’ve started whipping the egg whites. Boil the honey until it reaches 122°C (252°F). Once it reaches the temperature, immediately pour the hot honey into the egg whites in a thin, even stream.
• While you were doing all that with the honey and egg whites, the sugar and glucose mixture should still be on the stove. Continue cooking it until it reaches 145°C (293°F). As soon as it reaches this temperature, pour it into the mixer in a thin, steady stream, with the mixer still running.
• Let the mixture whip on high speed for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and continue mixing on high speed for an additional 3 minutes.
• Add the lemon zest and the warm toasted nuts to the mixture. Mix just until all the nuts and zest are evenly dispersed.
• It is crucial to pour the hot mixture out of the bowl before it cools down. If it cools in the bowl, it will set like cement and become difficult to remove.
• Let the nougat cure for 24 hours. After curing, portion it into your desired sizes and wrap each piece in parchment paper.
• Enjoy your homemade Fransknougat!

Video

Notes

Make sure to read the recipe and watch the video multiple times before attempting. It is important that you know what is going at every step of the process. 

The curing process is important for the nougat to set properly. Be patient and resist the temptation to cut into it before the 24-hour period has passed.

A lot is happening all at once with this recipe, get a friend to help you if necessary