Turkish Delight
Turkish delight, or lokum (also loukoum), is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater or lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with sugar to prevent sticking. Some recipes include small nut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Combine sugar, 1 cup water, cream of tartar, and flavoring(s) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Procedure
Boil over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the mixture reaches "firm-ball," or 250°F (120°C) on a candy thermometer.
Procedure
In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch with ½ cup hot water, mix completely, and slowly stir into sugar mixture.
Procedure
Stir constantly until mixture is evenly combined. Continue to stir on low heat until mixture thickens and becomes clearer.
Procedure
Apply non-stick cooking spray to a form (heat-safe ice cube trays will do nicely, though not plastic ones), shallow pie pan, or jelly-roll pan.
Procedure
Pour the thickened hot mixture into the pan or form and allow to set.
Procedure
When cool, release from form or cut into cubes as applicable and roll each piece in powdered sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut.
Procedure
Store at room temperature in airtight container.
Notes, tips, and variations
With the exception of the sugar, cornstarch, water, cream of tartar, and cooking technique, this recipe may be greatly altered according to taste and/or occasion. The nuts may be omitted, and various flavorings can be added.
Notes, tips, and variations
Try replacing the rosewater with one of the following: ½ tsp rose food flavoring ¼ cup fruit juice 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp orange extract 1 tbsp Crème de menthe liqueur
Warnings
There is a potential danger in adding the water/cornstarch mix into the hot sugar mix in phase 3 of the recipe. Adding a cold liquid to hot sugar can cause rapid vaporization of the water which can lead to the pan boiling over almost explosively, possibly causing serious burns. This can be avoided by heating the water/cornstarch mix and mixing it slowly while it's hot. Never add cold liquids into boiling sugar mixtures!
Photo: Chris Buttigieg at English Wikipedia · Public domain · · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 11 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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