Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave; keep warm.
Sift together cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar; set aside.
Combine egg whites and 2 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer, but don't start it.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 1/2 cups corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Once temperature has reached 235°, start whipping egg white mixture on high speed. Continue to cook sugar syrup until it reaches 245°. Remove from heat and carefully pour hot syrup into egg whites in a thin stream (pour it down side of bowl, not directly onto beater). Whip for 8 minutes, then add vanilla.
Stop mixer; quickly and thoroughly mix in melted chocolate by hand. Add reserved cocoa powder mixture. If making snacker candy bars (recipe follows), spread about 2/3 of nougat evenly (it helps to put an oiled piece of parchment paper on top of the nougat and lightly smooth out the surface with a rolling pin) into a greased, parchment-lined 9" x 13" baking pan. Spread remaining nougat in another small pan. Allow to cool.
Note: Two-thirds of recipe is enough for
Snacker Candy Bars; enjoy the rest plain. It can be refrigerated for a week in an airtight container.
