nougat:

1 cup lightly-salted cocktail peanuts
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup medium-intensity honey (e.g., wildflower)
2 Tbsp. water
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. salt

  • remove skins from peanuts and split halves apart
  • combine sugar, honey, and water in a small pan and heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves
  • heat until temperature reaches 295°F
  • beat egg white and salt in stand mixer until stiff peaks form (you may need to beat by hand to make a single egg white have enough volume that a stand mixer will work)
  • slowly pour hot syrup into egg white while mixer is running
  • continue mixing until meringue is very thick and cooled, about 5 minutes
  • fold in peanuts
  • line 8” x 8” pan with baking parchment and brush with oil to prevent sticking
  • spread nougat in pan and top with plastic wrap brushed with oil
  • press nougat into corners of the pan and smooth out the top
  • let cool at room temperature until firm, 2-3 hours

caramel:

250g sugar
85ml cream
90g butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

  • heat sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it melts and darkens, and reaches 347°F
  • heat cream until steaming then remove sugar from heat and pour in cream (it will steam a lot)
  • stir until combined, then stir occasionally and bring to 250°F
  • remove from heat and add butter and mix until combined
  • add vanilla and salt then pour over nougat
  • let cool at room temperature until firm, 2-3 hours

assembly:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. milk chocolate chips

  • chill caramel/nougat and cut into 1” squares with sharp knife (brush with oil and wash frequently to reduce sticking)
  • melt 12 oz. of chocolate chips in double boiler or in 30 second bursts in microwave (stirring between each burst)
  • add remaining chocolate chips and stir until smooth and glossy
  • use two forks to pick up caramel/nougat squares, dip and coat in chocolate, then let cool on a parchment-lined baking sheet
  • chill for 10 minutes to set chocolate, but serve at room temperature

sources:

10/28/2023: some notes:

  1. you can’t just mix caramel ingredients and expect it to work (need to caramelize the sugar before adding dairy, etc. (you just get a grainy mess)
  2. 6 oz. of chocolate was enough to fill 12 small bars and 6 muffin papers very thinly.
  3. a half batch of caramel was a good amount to fill 12 small bars (enough left over to make one extra bar of just caramel.
  4. caramel needs to be cooked higher (265°F?) to firm up, and this is actually dependent on the humidity in the room (dryer is better).
  5. a 50/50 mix of milk and dark chocolate is a very good mix for covering the bars.