rants & recipes

So, for Easter this year, I wanted to make a "Pecan Egg" type of candy: nougat-y center, covered in caramel and rolled in toasted pecans. I found a recipe online for vegan nougat that I decided to try early. Well, it turned out ok and then I had a 9x13 inch pan of nougat. Before Easter. So I decided to make Snickers bars, like the original recipe did with the nougat.

These turned out quite nicely. If anything, they're better the second day. So thoughts for next time - I'll probably go with about 12 ounces of chocolate and maybe 1/2 ounce cocoa butter to cover the amount of candy this recipe makes (less a few sampled pieces). I may also consider making about 1/3 more nougat - it's not that great, alone, but it really is the "star" of this candy and my pieces could've used a thicker nougat layer.

Vegan Nougat

Ingredients:

• 340 grams sugar
• 250 grams soy milk
• 30 grams corn syrup
• pinch salt
• 130 grams vegan margarine
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
• 170 grams Better Than Milk Powder(I used Original flavor)

Instructions:

1. Heat sugar, corn syrup, soy milk, margarine and salt in a heavy bottomed 4 quart stock pot, with candy thermometer attached. Stir with wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.
2. Cook mixture on medium heat to 235 degrees.
3. Prepare 9x13 pan - grease sides and line with parchment. Parchment should be long enough on wide sides to lift final candy slab from pan.
4. Combine gluten with Better than Milk powder.
5. Remove pan from heat, add vanilla then Better Than Milk, stirring quickly to combine.
6. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Allow to cool and set-up before adding caramel layer.

Vegan Caramel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar (100 grams)
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine (112 grams)
• 1 cup 'milk (I used plain, unsweetened hempmilk - I thought I was defrosting canned coconut milk, but hey, it worked.)
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups roasted, lightly salted cashews, chopped

Instructions:

1. Combine all but vanilla and nuts in heavy bottomed 2-quart pot with candy thermometer attached.
2. Over medium heat, bring mixture to 245 degrees, stirring frequently.
3. Once proper temperature is reached, remove from heat and quickly stir in nuts and vanilla.
4. Spread caramel over nougat layer. (I had to work quickly - the caramel was ready to set up. Have your spreading utensils ready.
5. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
6. Cutting tips - I cut the long strips (9 inches) with the caramel on top. I frequently washed my knife. I flipped the strips over to make the second cuts from the nougat side.

Couverture Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of vegan chocolate - the good stuff, or it won't temper. You want chocolate that contains cocoa butter and no other added fats.
• 1 ounce cocoa butter (note, that's what I used in this recipe - next time, I would half the amount of cocoa butter. My candy bars ended up with feet, as you can see below.

Instructions:

1. Temper your chocolate for dipping. I'm really no authority on tempering - there's lots of instructions online. YMMV. I've used a sous vide set-up and the seeding technique. I've had good luck the few times I've done it, so far.
2. Dip cut pieces into chocolate and place on parchment until the chocolate sets up.

Nougat and Caramel: Courverture was a little too thin: