HAPPY NOUGAT - FESTIVE CANDY FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR!!!

Some of you may be familiar with Nougat, and many of you may have tried this famous candy a number of times. The recipe for Nougat was first discovered in a Middle Eastern book in the 10th century. The most common Nougat was made with whipped egg whites, honey, roasted nuts and chopped dried fruits.

But in my recipe today, I want to introduce a totally different version of Nougat with a soft and chewy texture. This kind of Nougat is made from marshmallow, milk powder, roasted nuts and dried fruits. If you have been following my Blog, you would know that I love simple but tasty recipes. All of the recipes I've posted here are super easy to make so even kids can do them. Today's recipe is not exceptional. Upon completion, the candy will have an aroma of buttermilk, a rich taste of nuts, and a bit of sweetness and sourness from the dried fruit. In Viet Nam, we call this "KẸO HẠNH PHÚC" which means "HAPPY CANDY" in English. Usually this is served to guests when they come to visit your house during the Lunar New Year holiday. Vietnamese people believe that, on the 1st day of Lunar New Year, if you eat sweets, your whole year will be filled with sweetness and joy.

This is the creative version of Nougat, so if you are expecting to have the original Nougat, this is actually not what you're needing. However, I can ensure that the taste of this candy is amazing. When I first tried this recipe, I didn't expect it would be that good! But it turned out exceptional and all of the members of my family love it.

INGREDIENTS

Marshmallow 150g
Unsalted Butter 50g
Milk powder 100g
Dried mango 20g
Dried cranberries 20g
Almond 80g
Pumpkin seeds 50g

HOW TO MAKE HAPPY NOUGAT

Step 1: Roast the nuts

There are 2 ways. You can put the nuts in the oven at 160C for about 7 minutes. The other way is to roast them on the pan at low heat for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Make the candy

• Place the non-stick pan on the stove, melt the unsalted butter completely, then add the marshmallows and keep stirring constantly, turning the heat to low until the candy is completely melted.

• When the candy has melted, divide the milk powder into 3 portions, add the milk powder and stir until the milk powder and marshmallow are mixed together. After the milk powder dissolves, add all the nuts and dried fruits, mix them well and turn off the heat.

• Pour the mixture onto the baking paper. While hot, the candy is easy to shape. You can make a square, and use a cutting board to compact the candy to make it as square as possible.

• Place the candy in the fridge for 3-4 hours to cool and harden.

Step 3: Finishing the candy

Take the mixture out of the fridge, use the knife to cut it into small pieces.
For preservation, you can use baking paper or cling wrap to wrap the candy. It can be kept at room temperature (22-25C) for a month. If you want to keep it longer, put the candy in the fridge.

I also made chocolate flavor which I added 20g cocoa powder in and it was turned out really good. Some people added matcha, coffee, coconut in their recipe and I'd love to try those next time. Remember this is the creative recipe so you can add whatever you love to.

Thanks you for visiting my Blog today. I hope you enjoy this Happy Nougat!!!!