Among the sweets eaten only at Christmas, nougat is the base of all the desserts of the season: it is like the sofrito of a good stew, but with lots of sugar and almonds. Nougat is as simple and coarse as it is exquisite for its ingredients. It has the format and versatility to have adapted to the times and continues to be a bestseller that surpasses the dates for which it was created. Some big brands such as Vincens and 1800 -the most expensive in the world- have stores where they sell their product exclusively and the flow of people does not stop even in July.
1. Casa Mira
In the Carrera de San Jerónimo there is a centenary pastry shop with one of the most appealing shop windows in the city. This turronería, which displays its sweet products in rotating display cases with patina, was founded in 1842 by Luis Mira, who left his native Jijona (Alicante) to set up a turron stall in the Plaza Mayor. The sixth generation of the same family continues to sell handmade nougat, along with other traditional sweets such as polvorones, marzipan, guirlache, among others.
📍 Cra. de San Jerónimo, 30 (Downtown)
2. Ascaso Pastry Shop
Every Christmas, the Ascaso bakery makes more than eleven tons of handmade nougat without additives, preservatives, colorants or artificial flavors. They have been perfecting their recipes from Huesca for more than 130 years and have been based in Madrid for eight years. Their variety of nougat is close to thirty flavors, which are divided into two ranges according to their base ingredient: the “truffled” (chocolate) and those based on marzipan. Among all of them, Dulcey is the most successful, with a “blond chocolate” ganache, sesame praline and soft caramel.
📍 Calle de Zurbano, 25 (Chamberí)
3. La Duquesita
La Duquesita is another pastry shop that has been open for over a hundred years, but is still going strong. This year it is officially the best pastry shop in Madrid in 2023, according to the Academy of Gastronomy of Madrid, and as every year at this time turrones are again part of its Christmas assortment. In addition to the classic yolk nougat with Marcona almonds or Alicante hard nougat, three new flavors have been added since last year: marzipan and candied fruit nougat – orange and candied lemon -, pistachio nougat with white chocolate, pistachio and pistachio praline and guau nougat with hazelnut praline and white chocolate.
📍 Calle de Fernando VI, 2 (Chueca)
4. El Riojano
Founded by the personal pastry chef of Queen María Cristina de Habsburgo in 1855, the interior of this bakery on Calle Mayor remains practically unchanged more than 160 years later. Its pastries are almost as traditional as its decoration. Here you can buy San Isidro doughnuts, Almudena crowns, puff pastries and of course handmade nougat from Alicante, Jijona, Cadiz or all kinds of chocolates. Its tea room expanded in the 90’s, but still has the same tradition.
📍 Calle Mayor, 10 (Downtown)
5. Rocambolesc
Rocambolesc is the ice cream parlor of the youngest of the Roca brothers and as every Christmas, they turn to sweets. When winter arrives, Rocambolesc’s fantasies change temperature and transform into homemade chocolate, panettones and the most disruptive nougats. They have three types: anarkia, pure caramelized cocoa, with chocolate jelly inside; gingerbread cookie and candy cane.
📍 Pl. de San Miguel, 13 (San Miguel Market)