Croccante di Mandorle: Sicilian style almonds nougat

Croccante di mandorle (almond nougat) is an excellent sweet that you find all over Sicily throughout the year, but during Christmas time it becomes an absolute must have dolce in every Sicilian household, part of the nougat (aranciata, kubaita, torrone bianco) selection served at the end of a meal together with dried fruit.

To make your own croccante you will need:

1kg pealed almonds
250gr sugar
120gr honey
1 orange

How to make:

Take a non-stick pan, add the sugar and the honey on a medium fire, when the mixture starts boiling and producing a kind of foam reduce fire to the minimum and add the almonds and the orange zest. Keep stirring until the colour of the almonds is golden brown. Once ready, spread the mixture on a marble surface or a non-stick oven friendly mat and as it starts cooling down you can begin to cut it into smaller portions.