Tasty fun gumdrop nougat is an easy recipe that is a bit addicting. The creamy nougat speckled with fruity gumdrop candies is white and bright, for a gorgeous sweet treat. The taffy-like texture and the pop of gummy candies are a delight in every bite. These little pillowy nuggets are irresistible.
The combination of sweet marshmallows, rich white chocolate, and fruity gumdrops is so pretty and toothsome. This nut-free nougat recipe is a homemade candy everyone will love. I warn you, if you like salt water taffy, or divinity, you may eat all of this Christmas candy before you can share.
This is not a recipe for a traditional old-fashioned nougat. However, this unique jelly nougat with fruit gumdrops will become a classic someday I bet. If you have never made any homemade confections before, this is a great one to try your hand at. It is an easy candy recipe that does not require a candy thermometer. Plus it is a no-bake dessert.
This sticky chewy nougat with gumdrops recipe is great for just about any holiday. This colorful candy is ideal for making for all sorts of holidays, especially Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter.
Ingredients for Homemade Nougat with Gumdrops
This recipe for gumdrop nougat is so simple and easy. To begin, you only need 4 ingredients to make this homemade chewy and fun candy. For the nougat base, you need salted butter, mini marshmallows, and white chocolate chips. Since nougat is often compared to tasting like marshmallows this short-cut ingredient is so perfect.
The chewy nougat is a 3-ingredient recipe. To that, you will also need gumdrops - of course! This nougat does not have nuts and is gluten-free so it is a great candy for some special diets.
Best Gumdrops for Nougat
The best gumdrops for making gumdrop nougat, are ones that are bright, colorful, and fresh. You want them to be chewy and not stale and hard. Make sure to use new packages of gumdrops when making this nougat. You may be tempted to use Jujube's for nougat but I find that the little candies are too hard. I like Dots the best for this recipe.
I will be honest I love Dots and often "borrow" them from the kids' trick-or-treat bags each Halloween, but I also find they really are the best to use. I recommend using Dots by the Tootsie Roll company when you make gumdrop nougat because they are smooth without any outside granulated or powdered sugar layer. The smooth Dots adhere to the nougat best without changing the texture. If you love Tootsie Rolls as much as you love Dots, try out my cocktail that tastes just like one - TOOTSIE ROLL SHOTS!
How to Make Gumdrop Nougat
This is a no-bake candy recipe that takes only about 20 minutes to make. The hard part is waiting 2-3 hours for it to set in the refrigerator. When making this gumdrop nougat, you do not need a candy thermometer. But it is best to have parchment paper, a double boiler (or a good saucepan that a glass bowl fits over), and an 11x7 baking dish. To begin you will want to gather your ingredients and prepare the baking dish.
Line the Pan with Parchment Paper
You will need an 11x7 baking dish for this recipe. It will need to be lined with parchment paper so that the nougat does not stick. The parchment paper is also important so that you can lift the nougat out later to cut it.
To line a baking dish and keep parchment paper in place, I love to use binder clips. This is my hack for keeping parchment paper in place for no-bake recipes. This works when making things like fudge, no-bake cookies, and this nougat candy.
How to Cut Gumdrops
Cutting gumdrops is a sticky situation. The best knife to use when cutting sticky candy is something sharp, short, and has indentions. A small chef or pairing knife would work best. If you have one with vertical indentations like mine below, I recommend that. The indentions on the knife create space between the food and the knife. This helps those sticky little gumdrops from being too much of a menace.
Simply choose your knife wisely and get a large cutting board. Cut each gumdrop in half down the middle. Try and keep them separate so they do not stick back together, as you cut them. This is why a big work surface is a good idea. Once all the gumdrops are cut in half, now is the time to start the nougat.
Making Homemade Nougat on the Stovetop
Now is the time to make the sticky sweet nougat. This will be done on the stovetop and it involves stirring constantly. Be sure the baking pan is lined, the gumdrops are cut, and you have the ingredients needed for the nougat.
To a double-boiler, melt the salted butter & white chocolate chips over a medium-low simmer. Using a rubber spatula, stir and begin cooking. Once the chocolate is just starting to melt, add ½ bag of marshmallows and stir. Continue stirring over the simmering water. Each minute adds another ½ bag and stirs - repeat. Once you have added the marshmallows in 4 batches, it should look like the image below.
It will seem to not come together for a long time. It will look like it will never melt evenly but be patient. The white chocolate will all likely be melted and you will still see mini marshmallows. Continue to stir and cook over medium-low rolling boil.
It will feel like nothing is happening for a long time but trust me it will come together as you stir and press a bit of the marshmallow as they melt. The step of finally getting the marshmallows to all melt in with white chocolate does take anywhere from 7-10 minutes.
Mixing Homemade Nougat with the Dots
Once the nougat is smooth and combined with all the marshmallows melted, it is time to add the gumdrops. Remove the nougat bowl or double-boiler pot from the stove. Carefully sprinkle in the gumdrops and fold them in. Work fast as the nougat will start to cool and set. This will stiffen the nougat.
Add more gumdrops and fold them in. This will take some muscle and it is good to get them added as far apart as you can from the beginning. Once those gumdrops are in the nougat, they stay where they are. It is hard to move them around and separate them. Have fun; continue to sprinkle and fold.
Press the Nougat into the Prepared Pan
Once all the gumdrops are added to the nougat base, it is time to get it ready for chilling. Spoon the mixture into the parchment-lined 11x7 baking pan. Press it with the rubber spatula as you add it to the pan. At the end using another piece of parchment paper along with your hand, press down on the nougat to make it even and compressed. This will make sure there are no big bubbles and that when you cut the candy into cubes, they can be as uniform in shape as possible.
How Long to Chill Nougat
This gumdrop nougat needs to be chilled in the refrigerator before you can cut and serve it. Place the gumdrop nougat in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. It can be chilled for several days before cutting if you want to make it ahead of time.
How to Cut Homemade Gumdrop Nougat
To cut, lift the parchment out of the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut into 10 even strips along the short end of the nougat. A good quality chef's knife will make this easy - here are a few top-rated chef's knives for less than $100.
Next, cut each strip into 8 even pieces. This recipe will yield 80 pieces of Gumdrop Nougat.
How to Store Gumdrop Nougat
Storing gumdrop nougat is easy and it lasts a long time (if you can control yourself and not eat it all) Simply seal nougat with gumdrops in an air-tight Ziploc bag or container. Place it in the refrigerator and store it for up to a month.
ENJOY!
Valentine's Day Gumdrop Nougat Recipe
To make this easy gumdrop nougat for special occasions, you can make some simple recipe changes. This original recipe is great for Christmas with all the colors or you may just want to add red and green gumdrops. Gumdrop nougat is great for Easter too with the bright-colored fruit gumdrops are bright like Easter eggs. For St. Patrick's Day, use the green & yellow dots.
For Valentine's day, you can use only the pink and red Dots candies. This makes a fun and colorful homemade candy perfect for giving to anyone you love. When you slice the creamy white chocolate marshmallow nougat and expose the red and pink gumdrops, you know it's the best Valentine's Day candy recipe. It is so pretty but not too pretty to eat!
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
Product Recommendations for this Recipe - #ad:
The Short Order Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you. This helps with the costs of running the blog. Thank you!
Gumdrop Nougat
Equipment
- double-boiler
- 11x7 baking pan
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 bags white chocolate chips 11 ounces each
- 2 bags mini marshmallows 10 ounces each
- 1 ½ cups gumdrops cut in half
Instructions
- Line an 11×7 pan with parchment paper.
- To a double-boiler, melt the salted butter & white chocolate chips over a medium-low simmer. Using a rubber spatula, stir continuously. Once the chocolate is just starting to melt, add ½ bag marshmallows and stir. Continue stirring over the simmering water. Each minute adds another ½ bag and stir – repeat.
- Continue stirring until all the marshmallows have melted and the nougat base has come together. This does take some muscle and about 7-10 minutes.
- Remove the nougat bowl or double-boiler pot from the stove. Carefully sprinkle in some of the gumdrops and fold them in. Work fast as the nougat will start to cool and set. This will stiffen the nougat. Add more gumdrops until all are added and fold them in.
- Once all the gumdrops are added to the nougat base, it is time to get it ready for chilling. Spoon the mixture into the parchment-lined 11×7 baking pan. Press it with the rubber spatula as you add it to the pan. At the end using another piece of parchment paper along with your hand, press down on the nougat to make it even and compressed. This will make sure there are no big bubbles and that when you cut the candy into cubes, they can be as uniform in shape as possible.
- Place the gumdrop nougat in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. It can be chilled for several days before cutting if you want to make it ahead of time.
- To cut, lift the parchment out of the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut into 10 even strips along the short end of the nougat. Next, cut each strip into 8 even pieces. This recipe will yield 80 pieces of Gumdrop Nougat.
- Storing gumdrop nougat - seal in an air-tight Ziploc bag or container. Place in the refrigerator and store for up to a month. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 80 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 75 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 3.2g | 4% |
Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
Cholesterol 3mg | 1% |
Sodium 15mg | 1% |
Total Carbohydrate 11.5g | 4% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Total Sugars 9.4g | |
Protein 0.8g | |
Vitamin D 0mcg | 2% |
Calcium 17mg | 1% |
Iron 0mg | 0% |
Potassium 25mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Did you make this The Short Order Cook Recipe?
Tag @theshortordercookblog (Instagram & Facebook) or @shortorder_cook (Twitter).
I would love to see your latest creations and kitchen adventures.
Jess says
The family cannot get enough of this. We ate it all in less than 24 hours so there is your biggest compliment. I guess I need to make this again.
Angela says
So glad you all enjoyed the nougat. It is a good thing it is easy to make so you can have it often.
Julie Deeson says
So good. I did stir for a long time but it finally came together like the directions say.
Robin Black says
Everyone loves this recipe! I have made this several times and get my husband involved for the stirring. Today we bought the ingredients for making it this year for Christmas.
Angela says
I am glad you love ths homemade nougat. My husband does the stirring too - it takes a lot of muscle & I get tired. Happy Holidays!
Julie says
I made these and they are better than the original.
Angela says
So happy to hear that!
Barbara Marucci says
Can I make this and store in cellophane inside of a tin without putting in a refrigerator? If wrapped properly, is a refrigerator necessary?
Thank you,
Barbara
Angela says
It can be stored in a tin but only for up to a week. The butter and cooked marshmallows will cause spoilage if not kept cool enough.If you have a cold house,pantry, or even garage the tin will be just fine. Anything longer than a week, the refrigerator is best.
Bonnie E Hoggatt says
This recipe is so easy and it turned out so well. My family loved it the first patch I made was gone in 2 days. I had a visit from my grand kids. So they requested I make more so I made another batch today and it turned out just as good as the first one.
I am very pleased. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Angela says
Wonderful to hear! When you make it often & by request you know you found a hit.
Crystal says
It turned out really good! Although, to flatten with parchment I would lightly spray the parchment first as it stuck to the nougat really bad after pressing to smooth out surface. Note for next time!
Angela says
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW - good to note about the parchment paper. I have made this probably a dozen times and have never had that issue but someone else might.
Patti says
These turned out great! I added 2 cups of mini gum drops to the mixture instead of 1-1/2 cups of large gum drops. That way I didn’t have to cut them in small pieces. I also wrapped them in candy foil to make a pretty addition to my boxes of homemade chocolates at Christmas.
Angela says
Love the ideas for mini gumdrops and individually wrapping them. Thanks for much for sharing & the great review.
Anita says
Can I make a half batch in a loaf pan?
Angela says
Yes you can.
Ann L. says
Just finished making this. So easy!! Can't wait to taste them.
After these are cut, can they be dusted with a small amount of cornstarch to keep them from sticking together? I seem to remember, as a child, they were dusted with something. (I'm 72 years old).
Angela says
There is no need to dust them. If they are packed tightly in a container or Ziploc they may stick a bit. Just make sure you have a big enough container to store them in and they will be fine. We just made our batch & cut them today too, great minds thinks alike. Enjoy & Happy Holidays.
Ann L says
I just cut it today. It is wonderful! I cut the pieces small as it is very rich.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Angela says
You are welcome.
Carol in Iowa says
don't have double boiler' Can I do this on the stove burner on low or med-low heat?
Angela says
No that will scorch and be too hot. Do you have a glass or metal bowl that can fit over the top of a pot? I do this all the time with a small about of water in a pot and a large glass bowl over the top. Once the water is boiling, turn it down to medium to simmer the water gently under the bowl - don't let the water touch the bowl - just as you would in a double boiler.
Carol in Iowa says
thank you
Cynthia says
My chips are not melting it’s very hard over the boiler.
Help!
Angela says
Are you having a hard time melting just the butter and white chocolate? Or are you having a hard time when adding the marshmallows to the melted white chocolate & getting that to come together?
Deborah Vasil says
This turned out very pretty and tasted delicious! I found using the double boiler for the whole batch was too difficult. So I just used it to melt the butter and white chocolate, then transferred to a large pot, added the marshmallows, and everything came together great.
Angela says
Thank you for your notes and I am glad it turned out.