Whipping egg whites into 240°F corn syrup creates nougat's airy structure—a candy-making technique dating back to 1850s French confectioners.
Peanut Butter Nougat
Fluffy, salty, and sweet, this nougat is like biting into a cloud made from peanut butter.
Prep
10
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
18
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This American confectionery hustle traces back to 1912 Chicago candy makers who stole French nougat techniques and bastardized them with Depression-era peanut butter because almonds were too posh and expensive—suddenly a Provence dessert became a blue-collar factory snack, and decades later it's still the lovechild of French patisserie snobbery and American peanut-obsessed pragmatism, dipped in chocolate like a proper Yankee finishing move.
Regional Twist
In Georgia's peanut-growing Plains region, they'd swap the creamy peanut butter for crunchy and double down on whole peanuts, because Jimmy Carter's hometown doesn't do subtlety when there's a legume to champion—more crunch, more peanuts, more shouting about it.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 18🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 100 grams corn syrup
- 670 grams corn syrup
- 180 grams water
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 400 grams creamy peanut butter
- 60 grams egg whites (2 large eggs)
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 16 ounces chocolate for dipping
- 160 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 580 grams sugar
- 3 grams vanilla bean paste
📦Other(1)
- 150 grams peanuts
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
607
Protein
9g
Carbs
94g
Fat
24g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Sift powdered sugar, set aside.
- 2
Heat peanut butter until fluid in microwave or over a water bath, set aside.
- 3
In a 5 quart stand mixer, combine 100 grams of corn syrup, and egg whites. Mix until combined but do not whip.
- 4
Combine 580 grams of sugar, 670 grams of corn syrup, and 180 grams of water in a thick bottomed, heavy duty pot. Begin cooking over high heat.
- 5
When sugar reaches 234F, begin whipping egg whites on high. Continue cooking syrup until temperature reaches 252F. Remove from heat.
- 6
Slowly stream hot syrup into egg whites while whipping. Continue whipping for four more minutes after all syrup has been added.
- 7
After 4 minutes, turn mixture to low.
- 8
Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix until combined.
- 9
Spread on oiled parchment in a 9 x 13 sheet pan or baking dish. Top with peanuts if desired, pressing them with gentle pressure into the nougat. Cover when cooled slightly with parchment and let sit 12 hours or overnight.
- 10
Cut into 1.5" x 3" rectangles. Dip in chocolate if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Heat your peanut butter to 120-130°F before adding to the nougat base because cold peanut butter (68°F) will cause the whipped egg white foam to deflate by 15-25% due to temperature shock and density mismatch.ingredient120-130°F target temperature
- ✓Stream the 252°F syrup into whipping egg whites over 90-120 seconds (not faster) so the heat gradually denatures egg proteins and allows them to stabilize the foam rather than instantly scrambling them into grainy clumps.timing90-120 seconds streaming time
- ✓Cook your sugar syrup to exactly 252°F (hard ball stage, 121°C) because this 18°F range above soft ball (234°F) ensures 8-10% residual moisture that keeps nougat chewy; overshooting to 260°F creates a brittle, crystalline texture.timing252°F / 121°C
- ✓Whip the syrup-egg mixture for a full 4 minutes after streaming completes because the continuous mechanical incorporation increases foam volume by 300-400% and allows the residual heat to fully cook the egg whites to 160°F+ for food safety.timing4 minutes post-stream whipping
- ✓Add powdered sugar (160g) immediately after reducing to low speed because it absorbs 12-15% of its weight in moisture from the hot nougat base, preventing the mixture from weeping oil later and stabilizing the emulsion.ingredient160 grams powdered sugar
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
18
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Whipping egg whites into 240°F corn syrup creates nougat's airy structure—a candy-making technique dating back to 1850s French confectioners.
Peanut Butter Nougat
Fluffy, salty, and sweet, this nougat is like biting into a cloud made from peanut butter.
The Story
This American confectionery hustle traces back to 1912 Chicago candy makers who stole French nougat techniques and bastardized them with Depression-era peanut butter because almonds were too posh and expensive—suddenly a Provence dessert became a blue-collar factory snack, and decades later it's still the lovechild of French patisserie snobbery and American peanut-obsessed pragmatism, dipped in chocolate like a proper Yankee finishing move.
Regional Twist
In Georgia's peanut-growing Plains region, they'd swap the creamy peanut butter for crunchy and double down on whole peanuts, because Jimmy Carter's hometown doesn't do subtlety when there's a legume to champion—more crunch, more peanuts, more shouting about it.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 18🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 100 grams corn syrup
- 670 grams corn syrup
- 180 grams water
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 400 grams creamy peanut butter
- 60 grams egg whites (2 large eggs)
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 16 ounces chocolate for dipping
- 160 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 580 grams sugar
- 3 grams vanilla bean paste
📦Other(1)
- 150 grams peanuts
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
607
Protein
9g
Carbs
94g
Fat
24g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Sift powdered sugar, set aside.
- 2
Heat peanut butter until fluid in microwave or over a water bath, set aside.
- 3
In a 5 quart stand mixer, combine 100 grams of corn syrup, and egg whites. Mix until combined but do not whip.
- 4
Combine 580 grams of sugar, 670 grams of corn syrup, and 180 grams of water in a thick bottomed, heavy duty pot. Begin cooking over high heat.
- 5
When sugar reaches 234F, begin whipping egg whites on high. Continue cooking syrup until temperature reaches 252F. Remove from heat.
- 6
Slowly stream hot syrup into egg whites while whipping. Continue whipping for four more minutes after all syrup has been added.
- 7
After 4 minutes, turn mixture to low.
- 8
Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix until combined.
- 9
Spread on oiled parchment in a 9 x 13 sheet pan or baking dish. Top with peanuts if desired, pressing them with gentle pressure into the nougat. Cover when cooled slightly with parchment and let sit 12 hours or overnight.
- 10
Cut into 1.5" x 3" rectangles. Dip in chocolate if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Heat your peanut butter to 120-130°F before adding to the nougat base because cold peanut butter (68°F) will cause the whipped egg white foam to deflate by 15-25% due to temperature shock and density mismatch.ingredient120-130°F target temperature
- ✓Stream the 252°F syrup into whipping egg whites over 90-120 seconds (not faster) so the heat gradually denatures egg proteins and allows them to stabilize the foam rather than instantly scrambling them into grainy clumps.timing90-120 seconds streaming time
- ✓Cook your sugar syrup to exactly 252°F (hard ball stage, 121°C) because this 18°F range above soft ball (234°F) ensures 8-10% residual moisture that keeps nougat chewy; overshooting to 260°F creates a brittle, crystalline texture.timing252°F / 121°C
- ✓Whip the syrup-egg mixture for a full 4 minutes after streaming completes because the continuous mechanical incorporation increases foam volume by 300-400% and allows the residual heat to fully cook the egg whites to 160°F+ for food safety.timing4 minutes post-stream whipping
- ✓Add powdered sugar (160g) immediately after reducing to low speed because it absorbs 12-15% of its weight in moisture from the hot nougat base, preventing the mixture from weeping oil later and stabilizing the emulsion.ingredient160 grams powdered sugar