“Turrón A La Piedra”, How To Make It (Without The “Piedra”!) Vegan And Gluten-Free

It’s that time of year again. Christmas (Navidad) is just around the corner, and as Mel Smith once said, “It must be a good 12 months since the last one!” I can’t say I’m a massive fan of the festive season (the lights are twinkling on my small, 15 year old fibre-optic Xmas tree as I type!) but seeing as it mostly revolves around food and presents then I’m all for it. Just don’t expect a Xmas card from me, I had my fill of them when my mum and I owned the shop.

When we first moved to Spain many moons ago, we were shocked at how different the run-up to Christmas was compared to the UK. Decorations were few and far between. If you heard any Xmas music in the shops it would be towards the end of December, not for the last 5 months of the year like in England (slight exaggeration, but only slight!).

Presents were rarely given on the 25th. Instead they handed out gifts on the Three Kings holiday on the 6th of January. I always thought this a bit silly ’cause you had to go back to school the following day, hardly getting chance to play with your long awaited games and toys. I didn’t mind though as I got the best of both worlds!!

It’s all changed now (whether that’s for the better, I’m not sure) and Christmas is a much more commercial affair than it used to be. The street lights go up in November, corny songs are heard in most establishments for the last two months of the year (and the first 6 days of January) and there is a definite festive vibe in the air when you walk through the streets of any Spanish town or city (or shopping centre).

One edible Christmas tradition that’s been around since well before we moved to Spain is “turrón”. There are other goodies that are enjoyed at this time of year, like the “cordiales” I made in this post, or “polvorones y mantecados”, but turrón is by far the most popular sweet, festive treat in Spain. Hundreds of different varieties line supermarket shelves from October onwards. I’m sure shops have to expand a few metres to fit it all in.

It’s possible to buy “turrón” throughout the year now, although you won’t find the vast assortment you see in the 3 months preceding Christmas. Supposedly 46 million kilos are consumed in Spain every year, most of it being devoured in November and December. And I doubt that’s taking into account the homemade kind.

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The two most popular “turrones” are “Jijona” and “Alicante”. Jijona is the soft, squidgy sort that sticks to the roof of your mouth, and Alicante is the hard one that breaks your teeth. They’re both made from almonds, honey, sugar and egg white. Just watch out for some brands as they can contain other, not so natural ingredients. Here’s a link to a page in Spanish explaining a bit about these two types of “turrón”.

Because of the honey and the egg white, vegans can’t consume these two “turrones”. There is another turrón though that, although not as well-known, is equally delicious and contains ingredients that vegans can eat. It’s also fairly easy to make, even if it is a tad time-consuming.

“Turrón a la piedra” is delicious and made with just four ingredients. Almonds, sugar (I use “panela”), lemon rind and cinnamon, my favourite Christmas flavours. I had my first sample a few years back at the yearly Eco-Altea fair. Toni Garsi, a “turrón” manufacturer had a stall there. He was demonstrating the traditional way to make the “turrón”, also with “panela”. I can’t for the life of me remember how he did it but it had something to do with a stone (piedra). He then offered a small morsel to taste. I was hooked and immediately bought one for 7€.

The following year we returned to buy some more. It now cost 10€. No doubt this was down to the almonds increasing in price. Or maybe he had to pay more for his stall. I still bought one but decided to investigate to see if I could make some myself. Thankfully, the internet is a mine of information and I found a few food blogs and the likes using different methods to make the wonderful “turrón”. It seemed relatively simple so I gave it a go. Thank goodness I did.

Having almond trees at our casita, plus the ones Pep has in Pinos, it would be a bit silly to buy “turrón” when it can be made quite easily. Even the non-vegan types are pretty simple. All you need for “turrón a la piedra” is a fairly powerful food processor and a minuscule amount of patience. As long as you have these two items, you’re good to go.

I like to give this turrón as a present so I make 4 bars every time I make a batch. I will give the amounts for 1 bar though. It will put a lot less strain on your food processor’s motor and it won’t take quite as long either. I do it in two batches as I use a kilo of almonds to make the 4 bars.

First off, toast your almonds. Lots of people suggest using almonds without the skins on. I’ve always used unpeeled almonds. It comes out fine this way so I can’t be bothered with all the hassle of peeling them. But I’ll leave that for you to decide. Once toasted, allow to cool.

Whizz the sugar, or in my case the “panela”, lemon rind and cinnamon in a food processor until the sugar is much finer. You can also use icing sugar (azúcar glas) if you want to skip this part. Once the sugar is more powdery add the almonds. Now comes the long-winded bit (it’s not that bad).

Process everything together until the almonds start to release their oils and the texture is more paste-like. I have to scrape the sides of the food processor down every so often. You have to be careful not to process too much, you’ll end up with more of a nut butter than a “turrón”. I find that when I can squidge a ball of the paste between my fingers and it’s no longer crumbly, it’s just right.

Now you need some sort of turrón shaped mould or similar (you can buy moulds for this purpose). I have a wooden turrón box that I use, but because I make 4 or 5 “turrones” at the same time I have to improvise with other things. I also use a small loaf pan (obviously not filling it), the lid of a rectangular box of Ferrero Rocher (I think), an oblong Tupperware pot and anything else I can find basically.

Once you’ve got your make-do mould, line it, first with a piece of kitchen paper, then with two sheets of baking paper, one length ways, the other width ways, leaving enough paper to cover the “turrón” (you’ll see what I mean in the photo).

Fill it with the almond paste, squashing it in well with a spoon until it’s between 1 and 2 centimetres deep. Sprinkle over a teaspoon or so of cinnamon.

Cover the “turrón” with the surplus baking paper and another sheet of kitchen paper (to soak up the oils). Place something heavyish on top, like a carton of milk or a bag of rice, and place in the fridge for a couple of days. This allows the oils to release even more and helps with the finished texture of the “turrón”.

After the two days are up, it’s ready to eat. Remove the “turrón” from the moulds, but keep it covered with the different papers. This stuff is oily. Wrap in tin foil or keep in an air-tight container. Store in the fridge. I have no idea how long it will keep in the fridge (it’s gobbled up pretty quickly in this house) but I’m saying a good two weeks at least.

This is my favourite “turrón”. Turrón de Jijona used to be my first choice. Not anymore though. “Turron a la piedra” is the winner for me. It has all the flavours I love and the texture is wonderful. Serve with the “carajillo quemado” I make in this post and you have a match made in heaven. Perfect for a cold afternoon curled up on the sofa.

Right, that’s my lot for today. If you celebrate Christmas then I’d like to wish you a marvellous one with lots of wonderful food. If you don’t celebrate it, enjoy the days off work. But however you spend these coming days, stay warm, stay healthy and celebrate the winter solstice. Why not?!?!

I won’t be on Valley Fm this coming Saturday with my usual spot. However, there will be a little snippet from the interview that Vernon recorded at our casita at the end of the summer, in a programme looking back over 2020. If you’d like to listen to the previous two Saturdays you can do so here and here.

I might not be doing my next post until the New Year, although I can’t be sure. If I get the urge to ramble on for a few paragraphs you might hear from me before December is out. If not, Happy New Year and all that jazz. Take care you lot. See you soon. Lots of love, Georgie and Pep xxx

Turrón A La Piedra

A delicious, vegan turrón, perfect for the festive season

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten free, Spanish, Vegan

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

  

• 250 grams almonds (peeled or unpeeled)
• 200-220 grams sugar I use "panela", a raw cane sugar
• rind of one lemon grated
• 2 tsp cinnamon plus more to decorate

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 160 ºC. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for approx 15 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
• Add the sugar or "panela", the lemon rind and the cinnamon to a food processor and whizz for a couple of minutes or so, until the sugar is finer in texture.
• Add the roasted almonds and process until the almonds start to release their oil, scraping down the sides of the food processor as necessary. This can take a good few minutes.
• Line a mould, first with a piece of kitchen paper, then with baking paper and press the almond paste in firmly with a spoon. The turrón should be between 1 to 2 centimetres thick.
• Sprinkle with a teaspoon of cinnamon more or less, cover with the surplus baking paper, then with one more piece of kitchen paper
• Place a heavyish object on top (a carton of milk or a bag of rice) and place in the fridge for a couple of days. It's now ready to eat.
• Wrap in the papers, then in tin foil or place in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Keyword almonds, turrón