Ooo yes — that old-school Christmas gumdrop nougat that shows up on cookie trays every year 🎄✨
Soft, fluffy, sweet, and studded with gumdrops.
Homemade Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy
Ingredients
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups white chocolate chips or vanilla baking chips
- 1½ cups gumdrops, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional — walnuts or pecans are traditional)
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Prep the pan
- Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper.
- Lightly butter and dust with powdered sugar.
- Melt base
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and marshmallows together, stirring constantly.
- Once smooth, add white chocolate chips and stir until fully melted and creamy.
- Remove from heat.
- Add mix-ins
- Let mixture cool 2–3 minutes (so gumdrops don’t melt).
- Fold in gumdrops and nuts until evenly distributed.
- Set the nougat
- Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.
- Dust top lightly with powdered sugar.
- Refrigerate 2–3 hours until firm.
- Cut & finish
- Lift out, cut into small squares.
- Toss pieces lightly in powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Tips for Perfect Nougat
- Use fresh, soft gumdrops (hard ones = tooth breakers).
- Low heat is key — white chocolate scorches easily.
- Smaller cuts = better texture and easier eating.
- Store between layers of wax paper.
Variations
- 🎄 Red & green only gumdrops for Christmas
- 🍒 Swap gumdrops for candied cherries
- 🥥 Add shredded coconut
- 🍫 Half white chocolate, half vanilla chips for depth
Storage
- Airtight container at cool room temp or fridge
- Keeps 1–2 weeks
- Great for gifting tins 🎁
If you want, I can give you:
- a microwave version
- a no-nuts kid-friendly batch
- or the extra-firm church-lady version 😄
