Turkish Dessert, the Ultimate Homemade Candy
Aren’t there some books you just never get tired of reading? Especially during the winter season, or stressful times, some stories are tried-and-true comforters. For our family, the Chronicles of Narnia is a classic collection that we often read together. Our kids love the books so much, we have probably read them through a dozen times over the years. Every time we read them, I feel the need to run out and buy Turkish Delight. If you don’t remember, these candies are firm jelly-ish squares featured in the books as the ultimate temptation for young Edmund. After several trials and comparisons, we’ve discovered homemade Turkish Delight tastes significantly better than the store-bought version. Plus, you can use various extracts to make nearly any flavor you like!
What is Turkish Delight?
Also known as Lokum, Turkish Delight candy has the soft squishy texture of gum drops, is typically speckled with chopped pistachios on the inside, and is generously coated with powdered sugar on the outside. This confection was known to be created as early as the 18th century in Turkey and Iran (Persia). The most traditional flavor for homemade lokum is rosewater. However, in this Turkish Delight Recipe I’ve blended rosewater, orange, and raspberry. The rosewater is present but not quite as strong as the classic candy, and I find the orange and raspberry combination to be wonderfully bright and fruity together.
Ingredients You Need for Lokum
Here are the ingredients for making the best Turkish Delight from scratch:
Granulated sugar Water Lemon juice Corn starch Cream of tartar Rosewater Orange extract Raspberry extract Salt Pistachios Powdered sugar/Confectioners’ Sugar Red food coloring
While many of these ingredients are optional – including the rosewater, pistachios, and food coloring – we love incorporating all of these elements for making absolutely the tastiest and prettiest Turkish Delight squares. You can certainly skip the nuts for a uniform texture in each bite or if you have allergy concerns. Feel free to try different extracts and additional goodies to create your own unique Lokum flavors!
How to Make Homemade Turkish Delight (Lokum)
First, prepare your workspace. Set two large 4-6 quart stock pots on the stovetop, and attach a candy thermometer onto one of the pots. Then set out a 9X9 inch baking dish. Line it neatly with foil and spray it generously with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Into the pot with the thermometer, pour 4 cups of sugar and 1 ½ cups of water. Set on high heat and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the sugar syrup reaches 240 degrees F. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 2 ¾ cups of water in the second pot. Whisk in the lemon juice, cornstarch, and cream of tartar, making sure there are no clumps/lumps. Turn the heat on high and continue whisking until the cornstarch mixture forms a thick white paste that resembles petroleum jelly. Make sure there are NO clumps. Once the sugar syrup reaches the desired temperature, slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup into the cornstarch paste, a little at a time, making sure there are NO clumps. (This is safest with two sets of hands.) Turn the heat back to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture looks like thick golden-orange jelly. Again, NO CLUMPS! It’s highly important that you whisk the Turkish Delight mixture well, at every step, to ensure there are no clumps of cornstarch left in the mixture. These little bits of cornstarch will turn hard like little rocks in each piece of candy. Turn off the heat, stir in the rosewater, raspberry extract, orange extract, and salt. This is when you should add the food coloring if desired. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and quickly sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Then pour the remaining candy mixture over the top before it cools and becomes too thick to pour. Note: Two sets of hands in nice here as well. If you don’t care that the pistachios are directly in the center of the candy, you can simply mix them into the candy mixture and pour it in the pan all at once. Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill until firm. Once it has become solid, turn the Turkish Delight out of the dish onto a cutting board, and peel off the foil. Use a sharp knife to cut the candy into approximately 100 tiny squares. Add powdered sugar to the empty baking dish. As you cut the homemade Lokum pieces, give them a good shake in the powdered sugar to coat on all sides. The candy should be somewhat hard after chilling, but will soften as it sits at room temperature. Move the coated Turkish Delight to an airtight container, and keep it at room temperature for up to 4 weeks. I hope your family enjoys the sweet, fruity, classic candies as much as we do!
What Other Flavors Can I Use in this Turkish Delight Recipe?
Nearly any fruit extracts can be incorporated to make your favorite flavor of homemade Lokum. Try lemon, lime, pineapple, or strawberry extracts for more versions with terrific fruitiness. It’s fun to match the food coloring you choose with the color of the fruit! You can also swap the chopped pistachios for almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or whatever nuts you prefer.
Looking for More Easy Homemade Treats?
Bourbon Salted Caramel Candy Recipe Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries Mexican Burnt Milk Candy Cubes (Leche Quemada) 4-Ingredient Pistachio Gelato Fudge Microwave Caramel Popcorn Recipe Easy Ginger Candy Fluffy Divinity Candy Confectionery Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy (Fudge Recipe) No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls Easy Cinnamon Pecan Praline Perfect Sopapilla with Honey Drizzle Cinnamon Roll Cookies with Icing Sugar Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Pizza
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