Panforte

Yield:

• 8" round, about 20 servings

Time:

• 1 hrs 20 mins. to 1 hrs 35 mins.

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups skinned hazelnuts
• 1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
• 3 cups candied mixed peel (or a mixture of candied orange peel and candied lemon peel)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• confectioners' sugar, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line an 8" round cake pan (springform if you have it) with parchment or foil, and grease the parchment.
2. Toast the hazelnuts and almonds till light golden brown. It's best to do this in separate pans, as they toast at slightly different rates, and you may want to take one pan out of the oven before the other. Remove the nuts from the oven, set them aside to cool a bit, and then chop coarsely.
3. Put the nuts, candied peel, spices, salt, and flour in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Combine the sugar, honey, and butter in a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Using an instant-read or candy thermometer, boil the syrup, stirring frequently, till it reaches a temperature of about 245°F. 
5. Immediately pour the boiling syrup over the fruit and nuts in the bowl. Stir to combine, and pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula or wet fingers.  You need to work fast, as the mixture will start to stiffen up. Place the cake pan on a baking sheet, to catch any potential spills.
6. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes; it won't seem firm, but will set as it cools. Remove from oven, and after 45 minutes, loosen edges with a table knife or heat-proof spatula. Turn the warm panforte out of the pan onto a piece of parchment or foil. 
7. Sprinkle the top of the panforte heavily with confectioners' sugar, gently rubbing it in, if desired. Let cool completely before wrapping airtight.
8. Store at room temperature for up to 2 months. Serve
   in thin wedges.

Notes:

• To skin hazelnuts, roast and then rub in a kitchen towel,  Doesn't have to be perfect.
• Key step is to get syrup to exactly 245°F.  Don't overcook or you will have brittle candy, not chewy fudge,

Variations:

• Add whatever additional spices to taste (e.g., ¼ t coriander, mace instead of nutmeg)
• Substitute any dried fruit [melon is especially nice] but keep it at least 50% citrus peel
• Add 1-2 t unsweetened cocoa to taste.

Source: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/panforte-recipe