Crunchy Spanish Turron – Turrón d’Alicante

Nothing says Christmas like having a plate full of turrón on the table, ready for everyone to grab a piece (or many more to be honest). 

You might be wondering what is nougat, and let me tell you that it is more simple than you think. This Spanish Turron is similar to what is known as nougat candy in other countries. 

Since in this article, we will show the Spanish version, don’t be surprised if you catch some differences from the one that you are used to eating. Making this an authentic Spanish dessert.

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Keep scrolling down as we show you what is nougat made of, how to make the Spanish turron, and some tips to store and serve this almond nougat. 

Background of the Dish

Although it is impossible to determine the exact moment, it is believed that a recipe similar to the nougat that we know today arrived in Andalusia in the 11th century with the arrival of the Arabs to these coasts.

The Turron changed a lot from those days, and what we know now as turrón de Jijona or turrón de Alicante, is a sweet obtained from cooking honey with sugar. 

A beaten egg white is added to the honey mixture to ensure the lightness of this candy.

Nowadays the Spanish Turron is enjoyed during the holiday season in every house of Southern Spain and it’s a sweet Spanish Christmas tradition that everyone loves.

It’s more common to make homemade turron during the holiday season than making those unique cookie recipes.  

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Turron

To make this torrone recipe, you will only need a heavy-bottomed saucepan and a wooden spoon as the equipment. 

However, you can use any similar saucepan or pot that you have in your house.

This is a nougat with toasted almonds recipe, so you will only need 4 ingredients; egg white, sugar, honey, and almonds. If you are looking for Spanish Christmas food ideas, know that the turron is a very simple recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (250g) raw almond (you can add more)
• 1/2 cup (150g) honey
• 3/4 cups (150g) sugar
• 1 egg white.

How to Make Spanish Turron – Step by Step Guide

1. To start with this turrón recipe, toast the almonds in the oven or in a pan on the stove, moving them constantly so that they brown evenly and remove them before they turn dark.

2. Put the sugar with the honey in a  heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over low heat and mix the sugar with the honey.

3. In the meantime, beat the egg white with a stand or hand mixer, until you get soft peaks. 

4. When the sugar and honey mixture begins to bubble, cook for two more minutes and remove from heat. Add the whipped egg white slowly and move lightly so that it doesn’t set. Return the pot to the heat of the stove and continue cooking while constantly stirring. Never take it to high heat, always go from medium to low. 

5. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture has the texture of caramel, which is known as the hard ballpoint, or until the caramel breaks. Then add the almonds and mix well.

6. Let it cool for a few minutes and pour the nougat mixture into a square or rectangular cake pan lined with parchment paper. Smooth the surface and let the Spanish candy cool completely before eating it.

Substitution of Ingredients

If you still don’t know what is Spanish turron, just think of it as candy-filled with almonds. However, there are different turron recipes which leaves you a lot of room to improvise.

The main and irreplaceable ingredients are sugar, honey, and egg white. When it comes to almonds, you can replace them with any type of nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, or pistachios, and add some candied fruits as well.

If you are looking to improve your winter holiday season recipe book, then I encourage you to try other Andalusian classics.

Roscón de Reyes, Spanish Marzipan, the traditional Christmas cookies known as Polvoron, Roscos de vino, or Spanish Hot Chocolate are going to surprise your guests.

Tips on Serving Spanish Turron

To serve these Spanish candies is super easy, you just have to cut them into smaller pieces, or even bite-sized, and then place them on a large plate so everyone can grab a piece.

Some people even took inspiration from the unique Christmas cookies and cut the Spanish Turron with Christmas-themed cookie-cutter, with the shape of the tree, snowman, and more, so you can do that too. 

If you find this complicated, you can carefully heat the metal cookie cutter so the cut is easier to make.  

Try another type of Spanish turron, the delicious Spanish chocolate turron for a decadent and rich dessert.

How to Store Spanish Turron

Storing this Spanish turron might be a little bit tricky, but trust me it is not rocket science. 

You can store it at room temperature for one day, in a covered container and make sure that it is safe from ants or flies.

Besides that, you can store it for up to 7 days in the fridge, but it may harden too much. 

That’s why you can also cook other things, like some of the most popular Christmas cookies, to make sure that you have a backup sweet just in case. 

Recipe Card: Spanish Turron

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