Christmas Nougat Candy
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Chewy, delicious Christmas Gumdrop Nougats are a fantastic and easy no-bake old-fashioned holiday treat. Easily flavored with peppermint or cinnamon, this super sweet and festive holiday candy is trendy in the latter part of the year.
The pretty red and green gumdrops are a welcome and colorful way to enjoy this classic candy.
Why you will love Gumdrop Candy
I may be aging myself, but this classic candy recipe is a perfect way to bring back your childhood. And it does look fancy, I get that, but this recipe really is a lot easier than you think to make.
Likely you have tested many bits of gumdrop nougat candy at a grandparent’s house. It’s a traditional old fashioned candy that is creamy, sweet and commonly found in the Christmas holidays. I know that we always had it around our house.
While many people purchase candies from Branches (and those are great!), this recipe is a fun way to get some Christmas cheer going on in your kitchen and pass on this recipe to your own kids or grandkids.
Ingredients
- butter
- white chocolate chips
- mini marshmallows
- red and green gumdrops – These are Dots gumdrops, I bought 3, 6.5 oz boxes and sorted out all of the green and red. These are the “theater candy” boxes that are usually $1 at the store.
How to make Christmas Gumdrop Nougats
Whip up a batch of handmade nougats, which are perfect not only to enjoy but pass to friends and family during the holiday season.
This chewy candy makes lovely homemade gifts!
- Line an 8×8 baking pan (square baking dish) with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Set aside about ten red and ten green quartered gumdrops.
- Add butter, chocolate chips, and marshmallows to a large saucepan (stockpot is fine, must be large enough to accommodate marshmallows) and heat over medium-low heat, constantly stirring until the mixture is completely melted. Do not try to speed up the process by turning it up too high. Alternatively, a double boiler is acceptable to use. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool for 2 minutes.
- Fold in colorful gumdrops.
- Spread mixture into a prepared pan. The mixture is sticky, so I place a sandwich bag greased with cooking spray on my hand and use that to press into the pan.
- Add reserved DOTS gumdrops to the top and gently press them into the candy.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator, remove from pan and discard the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut into 30 squares.
- Serve immediately in candy dishes or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Candy Variations
Other than traditional gumdrop nougat, there are other additives to make this candy recipe. Just be sure that anything added to nougat candy is in smaller pieces to prevent choking and easily chewed. I prefer items that show nougat between pieces and complement the spongy texture.
Additionally, be sure anything you choose can go well in the fridge or get extra hard once cold.
- Pretzels – crushed up pretzel pieces work well if you change from white chocolate to semi-sweet or milk chocolate nougats.
- Cookies – Oreo cookies are a fantastic option. We also use Oreos in Fudge and they go well.
- Candy pieces – Try other colorful candy options like mini M & M’s or Reese’s Pieces.
Expert Tips
- Nougats are traditionally very sweet candy, so do not cut the pieces too big. This recipe should have at least 30 pieces.
- As noted in the recipe, nougat candy needs time to set before cutting it. This is a made-in-advance candy to enjoy. If you need recipes that can be made the day of, try something like Christmas bark.
- When cutting, spray the knife with a bit of nonstick cooking spray.
- Nougat squares are best cut OUT of the pan, so make sure the parchment paper is high enough up the sides of the baking dish that you can grab, lift and remove.
- Marshmallows, butter, and chocolate need to be melted on a medium-low. If you bring too much heat too soon, it can cause the chocolate to seize up. All chocolate needs a low and slow option with steady stirring. If you walk away from the pan, you risk the burn. A double boiler can work well if you are unfamiliar with melting chocolate.
What is a nougat candy?
A nougat candy is similar to fudge but has more sugar content. It’s also softer and chewier. You’ll find many different types of nougat candies at your local grocery stores.
They’re usually sold as bars or sticks. Some have nuts mixed in, while others don’t. There are even some flavored varieties available.
How to Make Peppermint Nougat
To get a sweet peppermint flavor (peppermint extract). Add in seasonal nougats with aromatic peppermint flavor profiles. We recommend dipping a toothpick into the peppermint oil and then the toothpick into the melted chocolate and stirring.
This will give you a peppermint nougat candy that isn’t overpowered. Add as little or as much as you want.
Can peppermint pieces be added instead of gumdrops?
While I prefer the spongey texture of old-fashioned pieces of nougat candy, it’s OK to replace them with small crushed peppermint pieces for your sweet tooth.
Typically 1 cup of crushed peppermint candy or candy canes (make sure they are bite-sized pieces if you are crushing yourself or buy precut ground mints) to the same recipe.
How to store Homemade Nougat Candy:
Store pieces in an airtight container in the fridge.
Chilling prevents the candy from breaking down from humidity and keeps it firm. If you need to layer candy on top of another inside a packing container, make sure to add a piece of parchment paper in between, or the candy may stick.
Can dark chocolate or milk chocolate be used to be candy nougat?
Absolutely.
Christmas Nougat Candy with Gumdrops
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 20 oz. white chocolate chips
- 24 oz. mini marshmallows
- 1.5 cups gum drops quartered – DOTS work well.
Instructions
- Set aside about 10 red and 10 green quartered gumdrops.
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In either a double boiler OR a large stock pan, add butter, chocolate chips and marshmallows and heat over low to medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is completely melted. This process can take about 10-12 minutes and must be done slowly and while stirring.
- Remove chocolate from stove heat and cool for 2 minutes.
- Fold 1 cup quartered gum drops into the mixture with a spatula.
- Spread mixture into a prepared pan. The marshmallow is sticky, so I place a sandwich bag greased with cooking spray on my hand and use that to press candy into the pan (see article for image example).
- Add 1/2 cup reserved gumdrops to the top of the nougat and gently press into the surface of the candy.
- Refrigerate Christmas Nougat overnight to set. Remove from refrigerator, remove from pan and discard the parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife to cut into 30 squares. Serve gumdrp candy immediately or refrigerate, covered until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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In a pinch, gummi bears work in place of gumdrops. This is my family’s fave Christmas treat!
Angela, thank you so much for the feedback and tip for readers!
I decided to try your recipe. I’ve never made this before but always liked it as a kid. It came out great!
Wouldn’t change a thing! BTW, I did buy 2 batches from two different people online. Both were homemade. Both were not as good as this recipe. One did use gummy bears and personality, I don’t like them in this candy. The Dots were perfect!!
Walt, I am so happy the Christmas Nougat was a hit for you! I love the Dots too!
Trisha
This Christmas Nougat is really the best out there! I have made it for years! The question I always have is….how far in advance could I make it? Does it freeze well? How long can it stay fresh refrigerated? It usually does not last long in our house and we share it with family and neighbors, but could I save time by making this in advance? The holidays are always so busy>
Nougat can typically be stored for about 2 weeks (as long as its a dry area) so you should be safe for about that length. I would suggest not cutting till right before serving so the squares don’t soften too much.
so festive. not too sweet. I cut in very small pieces people don’t like too many sweet. what a nice gift.
This stuff is so addictive. It doesn’t necessarily taste amazing, but something about it draws me in and I can’t stop eating it. 🙂 I think it’s the texture. I absolutely love it!! My favorite batches I’ve made, i let the marshmallows melt and get kinda carmely before I add in the chocolate chips. It adds a little sugary crunch to the bite that is perfection. IMO 🙂 Love this!
Can these be frozen?
I have never frozen them personally.
Are the marshmallows the miniature ones or the real small mini,s.
Thank you.
Just the regular mini ones. 🙂
This and Christmas crack I will be making this year for my candies.
Merry Christmas everyone!
This recipe tastes nothing at all like the nougat candies I used to purchase from the candy bins in the supermarket . The texture and flavor are not right. I was so hopeful because they were a favorite of mine. The recipe is simple and straightforward so there’s no mistakes to be made. After resting in the fridge overnight and fighting with trying to cut the batch into candies, I tasted it and the whole block went into the trash. Huge waste of time and money. Huge disappointment.
That is because its not the same recipe – This is a homemade nougat recipe and I haven’t had a complaint regarding them yet. I have no idea if you did the recipe correct, but regarding tasting like the candies in bins- they are made totally different. Branches candy ingredients are Corn Syrup, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Modified Food Starch (Corn), Soy Protein, Egg Whites, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 6, Red 3.
I used wax paper and used spray. But when I took it out of the fridge, and turned it out of pan. Could not get the paper off. All stuck together ended up throwing it out. How do you keep it from sticking and how do you get the paper off
I only use parchment paper (not wax paper) and then spray them with nonstick. You can also use silicone baking sheets and that should work. But I always hve trouble w/ wax paper on any recipe so I do not use it.
This is SO DELICIOUS with the most unique flavor! I used vegan marshmallows!