Homemade Torrone Italian Nut Nougat (Christmas style)

Source: https://xoxobella.com/homemade-torrone-italian-nut-nougat/

Ingredients:

- 2 Wafer Sheets, cut to fit 9×9 pan

- 12 Ounces honey (1 1/2 cup)

- 1 2/3 Cup granulated sugar

- 3 egg whites, at room temperature

- 1 Dash salt

- 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest

- 3 Cups nuts, roasted (almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans)

Instructions:

Prepare a 9” square baking dish (or similar size) by lining it with plastic wrap, ensuring the bottom and sides are fully covered. Cut both sheets of wafer paper to fit the size of your baking dish. Place one sheet of the wafer paper into the bottom of the dish, set the other piece aside for later.

Take the room temperature egg whites and beat them with a dash of salt in a stand mixer until you achieve soft peaks. Keep them in the stand mixer for later.

Take a medium to large sized heavy-bottomed pot, and add your honey and sugar in. Stir this mixture on medium heat until it has reached 300 degrees F. (it will be at roiling boil)

Once your sugar mixture has reached 300 degrees, remove from heat and immediately bring it over to the stand mixer. With the mixer on medium high stream in about 3 Tablespoons of the hot sugar mixture, let it fully combine with the egg whites and whip for a few moments before slowly streaming in the remaining sugar mixture.

Add in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Pay close attention to how thick the mixture is getting as it cools, continue to whip it until the sides of the bowl are cool enough to keep your hand on it for 10 seconds, when this happens add in the nuts and give it one good mix to combine then shut it off. However, if the mixture is getting too thick before the bowl is cool enough to keep your hand on it, add the nuts in and stop mixing at any point.

Working quickly, pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish, on top of the wafer paper. Gently spread as evenly as possible. You can use a lightly greased spatula to spread the nougat if needed.

Top the nougat with the second wafer paper sheet. Gently press everything down tightly and flat, trying to get as flat and level of a top as you can – you can use the bottom of a cup or ramekin to help smooth it out if needed.

Let cool at room temperature.

When ready, carefully turn the torrone out onto a cutting board. Remove the plastic wrap and use a long serrated knife (wet or greased) to cut the torrone into desired sizes.