Easy Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy
Easy Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy
This Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy is an easy no-bake treat that’s perfect for the holiday season. Great as a homemade gift!
These Gumdrop Nougat Candies taste like nostalgia and Christmas’ past. And I love them. They’re sweet, soft, chewy and so delicious. And very easy to make. Create a batch and share them with friends, give them as gifts, and make sure to have them on your holiday treat plate!
Who knew that marshmallows + white chocolate chips = a chewy and delicious nougat?! And with festive red and green gumdrops, this is a perfect Christmas treat.
I love that this treat is no bake, and that it can come together in just minutes. All you need to do is melt together a little butter, mini marshmallows and white chocolate chips, then stir in chopped gumdrops. Then spread it out into a parchment paper lined pan.
Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy Recipe Tip
The mixture is pretty sticky, so a little trick I use is to lightly grease a small square of parchment paper then use that to spread and pat the mixture down. Put it in the fridge for a few hours (overnight is best) to set…it needs to be completely cooled to cut it.
When it comes time to cut them up into squares, make sure you use a large sharp knife because they’re sticky!
As you cut into the nougat you’ll see how pretty these candies are! The red and green gumdrops look like stained glass in the nougat.
Aren’t they so pretty?
No one is going to be able to resist these candies when you put them out…trust me. I had to put away over half of our batch or we were going to eat them all in one sitting! But don’t worry, I have a recipe tip for you.
Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy Recipe Tip
This batch will make about 60 bite sized nougat candies, so if you’re not serving them right away, you might consider freezing this treat! Layer the cut pieces of nougat between pieces of parchment paper and place in an air tight container, and put them into the freezer. When you’re ready to serve, let them sit for about 1 hour or more after freezing, to bring them to room temperature.
A delicious holiday treat you need to make!
Easy Christmas Gumdrop Nougat Candy
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 225 gram bags white chocolate chips (DO NOT USE Chipits)
- 2 250 gram bags of mini marshmallows
- 1 1/2 cups chopped red and green gumdrops see notes below for where to buy them
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8 square baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.
- Cut the gumdrops in half. Set aside.
- Melt the butter, white chocolate chips and marshmallows together over indirect medium heat. To do this I create a double boiler by putting a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (making sure that the bowl and pan fit together snug). This ensures that the mixture doesn't burn.
- Continuously stir the mixture until it is smooth and melted together, making sure not to cook the mixture...the goal is to just melt, not cook or boil. See tips above in this post!
- Remove from heat.
- Let cool for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the gumdrops. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- The mixture will be very sticky, so I use a lightly greased piece of parchment paper or wax paper to help spread and pat the mixture down into the pan.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting, overnight is best.
- Slice into 60 bite sized pieces.
- To store the candies, use parchment paper between layers so the candies don't stick together.
- Enjoy this nougat recipe!
Notes
Tips and Tricks for Making Nougat Candy:
RECIPE UPDATE! I have received a lot of questions about melting the butter, white chocolate chips and marshmallows together. I prefer to use the double boiler method because it’s a lot more difficult to burn the mixture with the indirect heat. A lot of people found this method hard because the mixture is very sticky and takes some time to melt down. I realize that, but I still feel like it’s the better method. You just have to be patient and keep stirring. Here are some tips:
- Put the butter and the chips in the bowl first and get them melting.
- Then add in 1/3 of the marshmallows and get them melting.
- Then the next 1/3 and stir them in, get them melting down.
- Add the remaining marshmallows, stir them in and keep mixing until the mixture is smooth and there are no remaining marshmallows.
- The whole process only takes about 10 minutes or less.
Where to buy gumdrops for nougat candy:
I’ve had a lot of questions about where to buy the gumdrops for this candy, so I thought I’d share what I know here:
- The candy I used are called Baking Gums. They’re small and don’t have any sugar on the outside of them.
- The ones I used were these Baking Gums from Bulk Barn. They’re in the baking aisle, and they come in a mix of yellow, orange, red and green. I just sorted out the red and green ones once I got home.
- I have also seen them at Save On Foods under the brand Nutty Club.
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More Delicious No-Bake Christmas Treats:
- Chocolate Caramel Nut Clusters
- Caramel Crunch Popcorn
- Easy Peppermint Bark
- Candy Cane Cloud Dessert
- A Collection of Easy No-Bake Christmas Treats
Check out my Valentine’s Day Nougat too! I’m sharing even more tips in this post!
Happy Holidays!
I made them in a smaller test batch, they are delicious! My spouse can’t stop eating them. A few questions for when I make a full size batch.
How long are they good for
Stored in the fridge and or freezer?
How long are they good for left out?
Hi Sammy! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! These candies can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to 4 weeks or more. Just make sure to let the candies come to room temperature before serving though because they need to soften up.
Will Dots candy work as well?
Hi Kathleen! I’m not sure…I think Dots may be too hard for this candy.
I use the dots, they work just fine. BTW, I got out a gold scale and weighed the marshmallows and chocolate chips, in grams.
.yes dats do work very well! I used all of the colors they look very festive, just like the Christmas lights . This is my new favorite Christmas candy.
That’s funny because that’s what my daughter told me when I did it
Yes. I used Dots and the candy was wonderful! I’m making it again for a family party next week.
I love that! Enjoy!
I made this with dots and my very picky adult daughter loved it
I’m so happy to hear that Cynthia!
Dots work perfect, we just cut them in two
I’ve been making these with dots for years. Dots are perfect and much more economical. They are not too hard like JuJuBees would be.
Do you use salted butter or unsalted! Thanks
Hi Flora! I always use salted butter. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! ?
Loved this. Family favorite
I’m so happy to hear that Barbara!!
If these are left out on a serving platter for several hours do they get very soft and sticky?
Hi Ann! They should be fine for a few hours, but yes, they will get a little sticky…not too bad though
I tossed them in Powdered sugar once cut
I used 2 regular sized bags of Nestle White chips and 2 10 oz bags of the mini marshmallows…also started on stove top and moved it to the microwave just until all was melted …stirred in 3 theater boxes of Christmas Dots …I have had so so many compliments on these candies!
Would you be able to make this using chocolate chips instead of white? Thank you!
Hi CJ! You absolutely can, but I’m not sure how they would taste…I’ve never made them with chocolate chips…I’m not sure how good they would be.
Thanks for the tip using lightly greased parchment paper to pat it down, otherwise I would still be trying to get it in the pan. I also landed putting it in the microwave to melt, using 30 seconds, 20 seconds intervals, so not to cook the mixture. My big problem was to get the mixture out of the bowl. I didn’t get all the mixture out of the bowl, it was just too sticky, even re putting it in the microwave to soften it. I was afraid to overcook it. I finally give up. Your pictures looks so great. Mine looks lumpy. HELP. Anymore tips to make mine look like yours, and make this recipe easier.
I had a hard time getting it to melt and mix well! I struggled with the sticky stirring. I used red and green gummy worms chopped up. My gummies streaked color in the mixture. Mine just don’t look as pretty as yours. It’s almost a “nailed it” version! I made a batch of eggnog candy right after and that recipe called for marshmallow fluff. So much easier to melt the chocolate and then stir in fluff! Maybe that could be a substitute on this recipe?
I was wondering the same thing about the fluff as I struggled with the melting process. It took well over 10 minutes. At the ten minute mark, I was ready to give up, but stayed with it for another ten minutes until it all melted. Then, it started sitting up as it cooled. It took me and a helper to get it out of the bowl into the pan. It’s in the fridge now and I am hoping it will be as good as the picture looks. The marshmallow fluff will be a lot easier, especially for old ladies like me!
I made these yesterday. They are so pretty! I can’t believe how easy it is to make these beautiful candies.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! They’re so pretty and delicious!!
These came out perfectly! I was so surprised. Exactly like the pictures. Not as sweet as I feared they would be. Sooooooo pretty. I used green, red and yellow Dots and they were a huge hit. Thanks so much
You are so welcome Therese! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe…it’s definitely a favourite here too!