Read more about different nougat types here.

125 g honey
2 egg whites
125 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar or essence
100 g blanched almonds
150 g mixed nuts  —  pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts etc

Spread the almonds (and other nuts, if using any) evenly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and toast them in oven at 175 °C for 5 - 10 minutes or until they are very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Place the honey, sugar and egg whites in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir until mixed. Cook the mixture over a very low heat, stirring continually, until it thickens and turns ivory white. This will take for about 20 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the mixture. It is best to mix it with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, constantly scraping the bottom of the pan with it, to prevent burning.

To test whether the nougat mixture has cooked sufficiently, drop a small amount of it into ice-cold water  —  if it immediately hardens, the nougat is done. Remove the saucepan from heat and quickly stir in the vanilla sugar or essence, the almonds and mixed nuts.

Cover the work surface with some icing sugar, pour the nougat on and quickly form it into a ball. Then press the nougat tightly into a small tin lined with lightly buttered parchment paper. Cover with another paper, place some weight on top and let cool completely. Cut the cold nougat into bars and store in tightly sealed jar.

You can replace some of the nuts with chopped candied fruit  —  cherries, pineapple, papaya, citrus rind, angelica etc. Only make sure the fruit are absolutely dry, otherwise they will make the nougat mixture moist and soggy.

Recipe source: adapted from "Nougat", Swann, A. et al. (1995) The Victorian Kitchen Book of Candies and Confections. Godalming: CLB Publishing.