Crunchy or chewy, nutty or not, choosing the right type of the Italian Christmas treat can be tough. We’re here to help.

Sweet and airy and loaded with crunchy, chewy morsels, there’s a lot to love about torrone. A quintessential Christmas treat enjoyed across Italy (though we enjoy it all year round!), torrone is a fluffy nougat made of egg whites, sugar, and honey, usually studded with nuts and/or dried fruit. Its history can be traced all the way back to ancient candies made by the Romans and Greeks, though the form we know today was probably perfected in the Middle Ages in the northern Lombardy region.

One of the best—and most perplexing—things about torrone is the number of different varieties you’ll find. The candy is usually labeled either morbido (soft) or friabile (crunchy), but within those two categories there’s a wide range of textures, from melting and cloudlike all the way to shatteringly crisp. It can be difficult to tell what you’re in for just from looking at a package! 

Never fear! We’re here to play matchmaker. Read on to get the inside details on every kind of torrone in the Giadzy shop and let us help you find the one that will become a beloved part of your Christmas tradition. 

If you love a good crunch, try: Crunchy Torrone with Almonds and Pistachios

The crispest torrone we offer, this one is best sliced or shattered and enjoyed bit by bit. The nougat is crunchy and crumbly, almost like a dense meringue cookie, and melts in your mouth in much the same way. This one’s great to enjoy over the Christmas season, as its texture won’t change much once it’s been opened.

If you think everything tastes better with chocolate, try: Crunchy Chocolate-Coated Classic Torrone Bar

This candy features a similarly crisp torrone as above, but it’s enrobed in a thick layer of just-sweet-enough dark chocolate. To achieve the distinctive round shape and dense, crunchy texture, artisan candy makers carefully knead the hot mixture as soon as it’s reached the optimal temperature, then roll it into long cylinders to slice and dip in rich molten chocolate.

If you can’t wait for s’mores season to return, try: Soft Torrone

Soft and dense, this torrone reminds us of a thick homemade marshmallow—not the airy store-bought kind. It’s studded with almonds, hazelnuts, and bits of candied papaya. Just like a marshmallow, it can even be roasted over a flame or under the broiler, where it takes on the caramelized, gooey texture you expect from the classic campfire treat. Did somebody say s’mores for Christmas? 

If you’re a texture lover, try: Chocolate-coated Soft Torrone

This one really has it all: chewy, crunchy, dense, and melting. The same marshmallow-y torrone as above gets a thick coating of rich dark chocolate, making it firmer (and a little easier to hold onto!). There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a bite that combines crisp chocolate, gooey nougat, and crunchy almond all together.

If you like your torrone on the go, try: Soft Torrone Bites with Hazelnuts

Individually wrapped in plastic, each of these pillowy torrone pieces is a bite of soft perfection. The softest torrone in our shop, these are fluffy and light, with an airy texture. They’re studded with Piedmont hazelnuts to add a toasted bass note to their heavenly sweetness.

If you’d rather have a cocktail than dessert, try: Rum Chocolate Torrone

For a departure from the usual snowy-white torrone, this dense, gooey bar is loaded with chocolate and a serious hit of rum. The torrone inside is fudgy and chocolatey, studded with raisins and hazelnuts and topped with an aromatic rum cream. The whole thing is coated in dark chocolate for a treat that’s more like a decadent dessert cocktail than a kids’ candy bar.