Ingredients:

16 oz Bag Mini Marshmallows (white)

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

10 oz Bag White Melting Chocolate Wafers (or 10 oz of): White Chocolate Chips, or White Chocolate Bars, broken up)

either: 1/2 cup mix of Red and Green Candied Cherries (halved) OR 1/2 cup mix Red and Green Gumdrops halves (NOT spice drops)

1/4 to 1/3 cup Chopped Walnuts or Chopped Pecans (optional)

Couple of pinches Kosher or Sea Salt

Powdered Sugar for dusting

Line a square or oblong baking pan with parchment paper. Leave about two inches of extra paper above the edges so it can be grabbed and lifted out once solidified. Spritz the insides of the parchment paper with light puffs of butter cooking spray, very light.

Cut the candied red and green cherries in half, if they are whole.

If instead you're using the mix of red and green gumdrops, cut those in half. Please do not use spice drops! It's easiest to just pick out all the red and green gumdrops from a big bag of them, as they come in several colors in one bag.

Scrape out all the sweetened condensed milk into the top pot of a double boiler (or use what you have to function as a double boiler). Start this warming, do not boil or scald, the milk only needs to warm, use low heat. Add the pinches of salt and stir in well.

Begin the marshmallows in the warming milk before adding anything else, as they take the longest time to melt. You will need to stir them from time to time to help them dissolve. It's time consuming, but they will melt and dissolve eventually. You may have to add them a few at a time, as you'll need to use the whole bag of marshmallows.

Once the marshmallows have fully dissolved in the warm sweetened condensed milk, add in the chocolate and nuts, (if you're using nuts). Melt and dissolve the chocolate fully, stir to help them melt.

Once the chocolate has melted, add the red and green cherry halves, OR add the halved red and green gumdrops, whichever one you chose.

Please do not use gum drops AND candied cherries in the same batch, the flavors are not compatible together. Pick either cherries OR gumdrops, and use one of them to make the nougat.

You can make a pan of nougat with cherries, and another pan of nougat made with gumdrops, please don't put both in one pan of nougat.

Stir this very well before pouring in the prepared baking pan, make sure all the chocolate and marshmallows are fully melted and incorporated with all the other ingredients, it needs to be very smooth for best results.

Scrape all of the molten nougat into the parchment paper lined pan. Gently tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to knock out air bubbles. Smooth the top flat with a spatula, or make cute little curlicues or other pretty patterns. A few colorful sprinkles look pretty on this too if you like.

Cover in plastic wrap and chill overnight in the fridge.

Once the nougat has chilled to a solid, grasp the parchment paper lining that is sticking up above the edges of the pan, and lift out the solidified nougat.

Place on countertop, then score the top of the nougat in a regular grid pattern as a cutting guide. The measured grid helps you cut all the squares the same size. Slice the nougat into squares with a sharp knife.

Drop each piece in powdered sugar, as this prevents the pieces from sticking together. And they *will* stick to each other.

Another method is to place each square of nougat in a mini cupcake liner. They look very pretty in the red, gold and green colored cupcake liners. This way they won't need a powdered sugar dusting.

Keep in the fridge covered until serving time. Most Important: Allow the nougat to come to room temperature before serving, this way, they melt in the mouth very nicely.

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You can use more than 1/2 cup of cherries or gumdrops.