During the holiday season, I most enjoy celebrating my heritage by making traditional Spanish Christmas treats that my family has come to love. Polvorones, mantecados, buñuelos de viento, rosquillas, alfajores, and turrón de Navidad. Although so far away, it’s through these traditional family recipes that we are able to keep a Little Bit of Spain in Iowa.
I’m told that Christmas time in Spain is a magical place. The streets are brimming with lights, nativity scenes are adorned throughout the city, and pasteleria’s are filled with Christmas treats that make their appearance but once a year. What I most enjoy about Spanish Christmas treats is that the integrity of their original ingredients are mostly maintained. Their treats are simple – made up mostly of lard, chocolate, nuts, and honey. They’re pleasantly sweet, and rich.
Turrón de Navidad is no exception. An almond nougat candy, it consists of only three ingredients. Roasted almonds, egg whites, and raw honey.
Turrón is of Moorish origin and was invented over 500 years ago in a small town of Spain called Jijona. The wildflowers growing in the mountainsides brought an abundance of honey which is the staple ingredient in turrón.
There are two traditional types of turrón. Soft Jijona orturrón blando, which is smooth with a consistency of peanut butter, and hard Alicante or turrón duro, which is like the recipe provided here – a thick almond nougat candy.
This recipe is what you would call a turrón casero. One made at home. It’s very simple to make as it only has three ingredients. The egg whites, the binding ingredient, are whipped to a glossy meringue and folded into warmed honey. Together, its brought to heat and constantly stirred until a thick caramelized candy has been formed. This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Once caramelized, roasted almonds are added to the mixture and poured into a mold to cool and harden.
Once cooled, the candy can be sliced and served. Slices should be cut small, as they are rich. I can’t think of home in Spain that doesn’t enjoy turrón de Navidad in it’s Holiday season. I hope you can make it a part of your Holiday’s as well.
Turrón de Navidad
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup roasted almond slivers (preferably soaked and dehydrated)
- 1 1/2 cups raw honey
- 3 egg whites
Instructions
- Roast the almonds at 375F for 10 minutes mixing them up halfway through.
- In a medium sized saucepan; gently bring the honey, over medium heat, to a slow boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat off, and set aside.
- Whip the egg whites to a thick glossy meringue. Carefully, fold the meringue into the honey.
- Once the meringue has been folded into the honey, bring the mixture back up to medium heat constantly stirring for 15-20 minutes. The meringue honey mixture will soon increase in volume. As you keep stirring, it will condense itself until a thick caramel has formed. Also, the color will slowly change from a light brown to a deep burnt orange. The bottom of the mixture may start to burn a bit which is okay. It adds depth in flavor. *To test if your mixture is thick enough, add a bit to a plate and immediately place in the refrigerator. After a minute or so, if it hardens, your mixture is ready.
- Once the mixture has thickened add the roasted almonds and mix through. Quickly pour the turron mixture into a parchment paper lined dish. Place another piece of parchment paper directly on top of the mixture which will allow you to press it down and prevent anything from sticking to it.
- Cool in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before slicing. Buen provecho.
![Need a simple (FAST!) breakfast? Of course you do. 💛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Every morning, my toddler wakes up starving. That means I’ve got about 20 minutes (or less) to get food on the table before he completely loses his cool⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Most mornings it’s pan-scrambled eggs, avocado and sourdough toast. And, as you can imagine, that gets boring pretty quickly.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So, the other day I made this super simple Coconut Rice Breakfast Pudding instead. And it’s magical - creamy, sweetened with the lightest swirl of maple syrup, perfumed by cardamom and topped with plenty of seasonal fruit. Berries and plums work well in summer, but roasted pears would be dreamy for autumn.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My grandmother made rice pudding - but it would take HOURS. This one? Less than 20 minutes. I promise.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You start by warming coconut milk and maple syrup together with salt and cardamom, then toss in some of @lundbergfarms ready-to-heat Organic Coconut Rice. [ad] Simmer, and then toss in some fruit.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
EASY!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Now, I’m usually a harcdore DIYer, but from time-to-time it’s really nice to have something fast and wholesome that you can pull out in a pinch. Plus they’re a 4th generation producer that uses organic and eco-positive farming methods. 💚⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here’s what you need:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 can light coconut milk⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/4 cup maple syrup⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 package Lundberg ready-to-heat Organic Coconut Rice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Fruit and Nuts or Seeds⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Warm the coconut milk, maple, salt and cardamom together over medium heat. Then break up the rice, open the package, dump it in and stir about 10 minutes. Let it stand about 5 minutes to cool, and then top with fruit, nuts or seeds.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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P.S. The ingredients in the coconut rice are SUPER simple. If you're curious, check out the link in my profile. ❤️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#simplyperfect #nourishedkitchen #realfood #easybreakfast #nationalricemonth](http://scontent-mia3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/c392d1a9abdb958328e658e31e2ecf57/5E1BF173/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.135.1080.1080a/s640x640/67958602_450065365608402_9159300571819856555_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=106 "Need a simple (FAST!) breakfast? Of course you do. 💛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Every morning, my toddler wakes up starving. That means I’ve got about 20 minutes (or less) to get food on the table before he completely loses his cool⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Most mornings it’s pan-scrambled eggs, avocado and sourdough toast. And, as you can imagine, that gets boring pretty quickly.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So, the other day I made this super simple Coconut Rice Breakfast Pudding instead. And it’s magical - creamy, sweetened with the lightest swirl of maple syrup, perfumed by cardamom and topped with plenty of seasonal fruit. Berries and plums work well in summer, but roasted pears would be dreamy for autumn.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My grandmother made rice pudding - but it would take HOURS. This one? Less than 20 minutes. I promise.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You start by warming coconut milk and maple syrup together with salt and cardamom, then toss in some of @lundbergfarms ready-to-heat Organic Coconut Rice. [ad] Simmer, and then toss in some fruit.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
EASY!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now, I’m usually a harcdore DIYer, but from time-to-time it’s really nice to have something fast and wholesome that you can pull out in a pinch. Plus they’re a 4th generation producer that uses organic and eco-positive farming methods. 💚⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Here’s what you need:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 can light coconut milk⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/4 cup maple syrup⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 package Lundberg ready-to-heat Organic Coconut Rice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Fruit and Nuts or Seeds⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Warm the coconut milk, maple, salt and cardamom together over medium heat. Then break up the rice, open the package, dump it in and stir about 10 minutes. Let it stand about 5 minutes to cool, and then top with fruit, nuts or seeds.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
P.S. The ingredients in the coconut rice are SUPER simple. If you're curious, check out the link in my profile. ❤️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#simplyperfect #nourishedkitchen #realfood #easybreakfast #nationalricemonth")
Is this treat “hard” like peanut brittle, or on the softer side? I need to know because my kid has braces! 🙂 Thanks!
I would skip the one if your kids have braces.
what is the yield for this recipe?
This sounds amazing and I am going to try to make it. My question, I am alergic to all tree nuts. Is there something that could replace the nuts that would hold the consistancy and still have the crunch? I will still make it for those that can eat nuts and maybe leave a little out before putting in the nuts to try that way. Thank you and Bless you and yours for your joyous Christmas season.
Hi Kaureen,
The nuts are integral to the recipe. What would you normally replace nuts with?