Hard to believe that March is just about over! Are you happy? Is it Spring in your neck of the woods? I can not say with 100% certainty that it is Spring just yet here in Japan. I am ok with that too. Anyone who has been with me from the start of this blog knows how horrid the temps get here in the Summer and how there is no AC and therefor no baking for a few months time.
I have to tell you though, today I actually opened half of my balcony to let in fresh cool air! It was perfect and had me longing for Spring till thoughts of Summer came along,lol. So things could be warming up here or I could also wake up tomorrow with a few inches of snow on my doorstep…just how it is here in Northern Japan!
March 27th was National Nougat Day. Yeah, Nougat is a candy, some recipes call for baking or simmering and others call for “set -up” time in the fridge. I don’t know how most feel about Nougat. There are many varieties and variations out there and if there are none you like, take a basic recipe and make it your own. That’s pretty much what you see here.
There is a candy company out there that makes what they call a “Jelly Bean Nougat” candy. You can search the internet high and low for a recipe but you will not come across one that is like it at all, sadly. It is my favorite and really the only Nougat I’ve had in my life. I had to try and recreate it as best as I could. I am in Japan so there is no other way for me to get that candy unless I purchase it online and sometimes I don’t feel like that bother. Now I can just make my own, any time. The only downside is this recipe I adapted from calls for a 24 hour set up time in the fridge..and it’s needed so don’t try to skip it. They also need to be kept in the fridge to store, you can keep them out for a while but just keep that in mind. Also these are incredibly delicious and the gumdrops are awesome with it, exactly how I was hoping!
I am also thinking that these would be great to bring to a family gathering like on Easter 🙂 Happy Easter!!!
- ½-1 Cup Gumdrops, Chopped
- ⅓ Cup Butter, Softened
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Some Flour Up To ½ Cup
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 3-5 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- Mix butter, sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Add very little flour, till dough is formed and not sticky. I actually did not need any flour.
- Knead in the chopped gumdrops.
- Line an 8x8 pan with plastic wrap.
- Press mixture into pan, cover with foil and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Slice them however you would like and wrap in wax paper then store in fridge.