Making candy is both an art and a science. Follow the tips below for a successful candy making experience every time. Carefully turn out the Turkish delight and cut into 24 squares with a lightly-oiled knife. In batches, toss the squares in the icing sugar mixture until they are well coated. Wet the sandwich tin with cold water, then pour in the Turkish delight mix. Leave in a cool place to set overnight. Nuts are also common. When using nuts you only need to add about 2 ounces or about a ½ cup of nuts. Make sure you chop them before adding to the candy. Coat each cube in cornflour then leave to cure at room temperature for a few hours. They should form a crust.

Cut the Turkish delight: Dust a cutting board with some of the reserved dusting mixture and transfer the candy to the prepared cutting board. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut straight down through the candy. Do not drag the knife to cut into cubes. Once cut, coat each cube in the dusting mixture. Remove it from the pan and cut into cubes. Leave them spaced apart on a chopping board at room temperature for 24 hours to sweat. Xanthan Gum –This helps to stabilise the mixture and prevent sweating after it’s made. You can leave it out, but you may run into problems later as a result. Take off the heat and gradually add the hot sugar syrup, whisking thoroughly between each addition to prevent lumps forming. Once smooth, use a silicone spatula to scrape down and clean the sides of the pan. Sugar, Maize Starch, Water, Icing Sugar, Natural Flavour (Rose and Lemon), Colouring(E129, E124), Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid.Food coloring: This is optional and you can use it if you want a pink hue. You can skip it all together or use a little pomegranate juice to color it. Making a successful batch of Turkish delight depends upon the timing of a few ingredients and a candy thermometer. Rosewater is one of the most common flavors of Turkish delights but there are endless variations. Once you start making it at home there is little doubt you will come up with a few of your own. Flavor and set the candy: Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in the rose water and 1 to 2 drops of red food coloring. (If using chopped nuts, stir them in now.) Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Leave it in a cool place on your countertop overnight. Ten to 12 hours is ideal, but if you’d like it to set even more you can leave it for up to 24 hours.

Throughout Turkey, these delicate candies are shared to close a meal with coffee, placed on dessert trays for holidays, weddings and other special occasions. Basically, people enjoy them whenever they can all year long! History and Origins of Turkish Delight Turkish Delight or Turkish Delights also called Lokum are a fragrant jelly candy recipe native to Turkey. I make these delicate candies in a variety of ways including with rosewater, bergamot, cinnamon or orange and sometimes include coconut, dried fruits and nuts.Throughout Turkey they come in different colors, textures and flavor combinations. Add the cornflour and xanthan gum into a jug then pour over 200ml (3/4 Cup + 1 tbsp) of water. Mix until the cornflour has dissolved. Once dissolved, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush (this prevents sugar crystals from forming). Turn the heat up, insert the thermometer and bring to a boil. Without stirring, cook until the temperature on the thermometer reaches 115C/239F. This will take around 10 minutes. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool slightly.Rose Water –The key flavour. It’s best not to substitute this if you can help it. Rose is the traditional Turkish delight flavour after all! Dry: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the Turkish delight cubes in a single on the tray with a little space between each cube. Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch mixture over the candy and leave it uncovered on your countertop for 24 hours. The texture is somewhat between a homemade marshmallow and soft jelly.

Do not store Turkish delight in the fridge, as the fridge would make it sweat, drawing more moisture out of the candy. Perfect for Gift Giving Classic Turkish delight flavours include rose, lemon and fruits, whereas premium varieties contain pistachios, hazelnuts, mastic and dates.Decorate with glitter: If using, go ahead and sprinkle the edible glitter over the Turkish delight. Superfine (Baker’s sugar): Superfine sugar is just smaller granules of granulated sugar, and if you can't find it, it's easy to make at home. Add granulated sugar to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds or so. Plain granulated sugar will also work; the candy will be a little less sweet. Oil your pan and dust with cornflour. Tap out any excess. Then pour in your Turkish delight and leave to set overnight at room temperature. Haci Bekir, a well-known confectioner, became famous due to his ingenious use of white sugar and cornstarch. He was summoned to the Topkapi Palace to pioneer the development of what is today one of Turkey’s hallmark confections. Later on, rosewater and mastic, the resin of a tree used in many desserts from ice cream to commercially made Turkish delights, were also added to create more aromatic, chewier versions of the candy. What is in Turkish Delight

if you don’t have a silicone pan, line a normal baking tin with baking paper and grease/coat in cornflour as per the recipe. Instructions Food Colouring –Using red colouring is easiest to achieve a delicate pink finish. I recommend using gel, as it’s more concentrated and doesn’t affect the consistency as much as liquid colourings. Enjoy and store: Turkish delight keeps well stored in a dry place for up to 1 month. Layer the candy between sheets of parchment in an airtight container on your countertop in a cool, dry place away from light and heat. Make sure there is a little space between each piece of Turkish delight. Varieties of Turkish Delight The name wasn't the only thing that changed. Originally, the Ottomans made a crude version of Turkish delight using honey or molasses. However, once refined sugar arrived in the late 18th century it slowly took over as the sweetening agent of choice.Place the pan on a low heat and stir gently until the gelatine all melts. Add 1tspn sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 mins.