Guirlache is one of the most typical nougats from some of the regions associated with the former Crown of Aragón. For this reason, it is not surprising that it is a common sweet in Catalonia, Valencian Community, Navarre and Aragón. It is in this last community that it is still prepared in the traditional way throughout its geography. And it is not strange to think that some of the most renowned medieval villages such as Jánovas, Torla or Jaca have been preparing this recipe for centuries.
Guirlache is a simple preparation with only 2 or 4 ingredients at most, depending on the version that is prepared. For this reason it is a sweet that is easy to prepare in any home and that can give us the opportunity to taste it at any time of the year. Without a doubt it is a perfect dessert for the upcoming Christmas celebrations.
Ingredients for Guirlache
- 200 g of raw and peeled almonds
- 160 g of sugar
- 40 g of honey
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
How to prepare the Guirlache
- To be able to prepare the guirlache you must first prepare the caramel. To do this, add the sugar, honey and lemon in a non-stick frying pan so that the sugar melts little by little over a medium heat. You do not want the caramel to burn. This process will take at least 20 minutes.
- While the sugar melts with the rest of the ingredients, toast the almonds in the oven. Put them on a tray with parchment paper and bake them at 160ºC for 5 minutes or until they are slightly toasted, bearing in mind that they will get more toasted when you add them to the caramel.
- When the almonds are golden, set them aside in a bowl. Once the caramel is ready and has a nice golden colour, without being too dark, add the almonds. Stir constantly for 3 minutes so that the caramel wraps around all the almonds and the mixture is very homogeneous.
- Spread the mixture on a greased baking sheet with a little oil so that it is easy to handle. Put all the mixture on the parchment paper, trying to form a square, although the shape is not really important.
- Finally, and when it has cooled down enough, cut the guirlache into the desired portions. The important thing is to enjoy this sweet with the most important people!
