Worth It
If you're anything like us, the first thing you think of when you hear "Turkish delight" is Edmund, the jerky younger brother from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe who's plied with Turkish delight by the evil White Queen. We never really had this candy growing up, and so it has a bit of a magical association. How could something be so good that it would cause you to betray your family?
Well, to be fair, the queen's Turkish delight was actually magical—we can't promise the same for this. But we can promise a delightfully soft and chewy sweet that's better than any store-bought version you've encountered. Rosewater is the traditional flavoring, and is available at many specialty and gourmet stores, but feel free to replace it with the same amount of whatever pure extract you like, such as orange or vanilla.
Do note that this recipe requires expert timing (don't worry: that doesn't mean you have to be fast as lightning)—read it through a couple of times before you start! It's not a difficult recipe, but if you don't have a good idea of how everything gets put together before you begin, it's easy to bamboozle yourself in the middle. Be a good Scout and be prepared!
Ingredients
Makes about 100 one-inch candies
Special Equipment
For the sugar syrup
For the cornstarch mixture
For the flavoring
For cutting and dredging
Preparation
Step 1
1. Generously coat the baking sheet with cooking spray, and set it aside.
Step 2
2. Make the sugar syrup: Combine the sugar, honey, water, and cream of tartar in a medium-size (4-quart) saucepan, and mix with the heatproof spatula to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, and insert the candy thermometer. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 260°F/127°C (hard ball stage), about 15 minutes.
Step 3
3. Meanwhile (keeping an eye on the sugar syrup), make the cornstarch mixture: In a large (6-quart) saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, confectioners' sugar, water, and cream of tartar to combine. Once the sugar syrup reaches 250°F/121°C (firm ball stage), place the cornstarch mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with the whisk; it will thicken and boil quickly, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the mixture on the hot burner; stir well a few times with a whisk, and set aside.
Step 4
4. At this point, the sugar syrup should be close to 260°F/127°C (hard ball stage); when it reaches that temperature, remove it from the heat and carefully pour it into the cornstarch mixture. Stir well with the whisk to combine. Bring everything to a low boil over medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook at a low simmer, stirring frequently with the spatula, until the mixture is thick and gluey and a light golden color, 30 to 45 minutes. Don't turn your back on it! You need to make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with the spatula every few minutes to prevent scorching and lumps.
Step 5
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flavorings: stir in the rosewater, pistachios, and food coloring (if using).
Step 6
6. Wearing oven mitts, immediately pour the candy into the prepared baking sheet. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the candy to prevent it from forming a skin as it cools. Allow it to cool until it has set and is firm and cool to the touch, 6 to 8 hours.
Step 7
7. Gently peel off the plastic wrap. Dust the cutting board with the confectioners' sugar. Run the tip of a paring knife between the candy and the sheet, and gently turn the candy out onto the prepared board.
Step 8
8. Place the cornstarch mixture in a medium-size bowl. Generously coat a sharp chef's knife with cooking spray, and use a gentle slicing motion to cut the candy into 1-inch squares. Dredge the pieces in the cornstarch mixture until well coated.
Step 9
Store the Turkish delights, layered with wax paper, in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 1 month.
Leave a Review
Reviews (17)
Back to TopYall totally made it wrong!!! Cream of tartar and honey don't go in here!!! DISGUSTING
Anonymous
12/4/2021
As a person who dose a lot of baking I had all of the ingredients but it tastes like a beaver's but it is disgusting do not make it!!!!
Anonymous
Seattle WA
12/18/2020
As a person who dose a lot of baking I found that I had all of the Ingredients and I think it was easy to make because I fallow all of the instructions and it is long but fun and I had to make this for school after school and it was so easy.
Anonymous
Seattle WA
12/10/2020
This process was extremely complicated and it wasn't worth it because the mixture ended up like very strong flavored honey jelly. I had to put it in the freezer so that I could cut it and roll it in the starch. Probably won't try this again because it is too much work and it's risky :/
Anonymous
Los Angeles
5/27/2020
Followed previous reviewers' tips and mine turned out pretty well. I had an issue with big chunks not dissolving during my 45 min stir time, I think I would suggest slowly incorporating it since I just dumped all the hot sugar syrup in at once. So I was left with a chunkier-than-should-be mixture, but when coated with powdered sugar it looked okay.
moseslikestoeat
Dayton, OH
6/9/2018
Okay. So I was initially freaked out and confused by all the other reviews. This is a good recipe. Here are my notes/changes. 1. I followed another reviewer's recommendation to use vanilla/lemon juice/rosewater. It was good. Still a little soapy and really sweet, but I imagine that's what this is supposed to taste like. I'm currently in the middle of making my second batch, and will just add 2.5 tsp of orange blossom water. We'll see. 2. I didn't add pistachios the first time - it seemed impossible to mix them in so I didn't. I burnt some of the honey, so I do have little crunchy things in the finished product. As long as you know what it is, it's fine. If it were a surprise, I think it would make me nervous. 3.Instead of using a whisk for the cornstarch mixture, I used a flat wooden spoon. The second time, anyway, since I learned my lesson the first time. You basically just need to scrape the bottom of the pan constantly, and it's about a billion times easier with the spoon than the whisk. Plus, the mixture gets REALLY thick about halfway through and a whisk will tire you out. 4. COOK THE MIXTURE FOR 45 MINUTES. I know it says until it's amber and gluey, but it's amber and gluey the minute you add the sugar mixture, right? I think that is what was messing everyone up. I read in other recipe reviews that the longer you cook it, the firmer it is, so I just cooked it the full 45 minutes. It was not a sticky mess AT ALL. I think the people who said it was a mess didn't cook it for long enough. Believe me, you're going to be tired, and you're going to want to stop before 45 minutes. Don't do it. 5. Lastly this is way easier to do the second time around. I prepped both my pots at the same time, and had another little bowl with my flavor and food coloring so I could just mix that in. I use really heavy cast iron pots, so the first time my cornstarch mixture took forever. The second time I started it on low when I started the sugar so it was easier to heat it up when it was time. Still took forever, and I had to turn down my sugar and it got way too hot, but it seems fine. Will keep trying to get the timing right. Anyhow, if you prep both your pots, and your flavor, all you're really doing is mixing the sugar, waiting for it to get about 240, then firing up the cornstarch mixture, then dumping the sugar mixture in when it's at 260. You'll know when the cornstarch is done it'll be like super gluey. Then you just mix FOREVER. Make this. It's fun. And gets easier every time.
kyamashita47
Los Angeles, CA
12/27/2017
Candy mixture heated up much faster than the recipe indicated and as a result the cornstarch mixture was not ready in time. Description of what the candy should look like when the flavorings should be added was too vague as well. Result was not a cohesive candy, although it did taste very good; honey was a good choice. Might work for a skilled candy maker, but not for me.
nadaci
NL, Canada
12/17/2016
This was my first candy making attempt. I followed the recipe exactly concerning amounts, temperatures, and time. After reading the reviews I adjusted the flavorings to be more user friendly as follows: 4 teaspoons rose water, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and three drops of red food coloring. The results were perfect. Just in time for Mothers Day gifts. One suggestion. I made two batches. One with pistachios and one without. The one without is the perfect color. The one with pistachios turned a light coffee color. I should have shaken the nuts out in a course colander to remove the fine particles from the nuts. I still taste great.
Fiso
Longview, Washington
5/7/2016
My first time ever making candy of any kind, and I just had to try this one! LOL I love the store bought version of this and that is what i will be enjoying from now on. These are supposed to be soft chewy but came out mushy. It did get over 160 degrees because the second half was not ready. I only let it cook 30 minutes at the end because of the honey I couldn't tell color.
Anonymous
Sacramento, CA
3/14/2016
Not a very good recipe, followed exactly ... Try a gelatine recipe way easier and turns out every time
leanneA2004
Spruce Grove, AB, Canada
2/12/2016
Much too soft and gelatinous. Should be much firmer. I followed the recipe to the letter but the results were very disappointing. My previous try with a slightly different recipe was equally poor. I don't think there is a good recipe out there.
cnealt
Dallas
11/24/2015
I spent some time researching different Turkish Delight recipes before choosing this one based on what I felt would be the authenticity of ingredients. I was primarily concerned with the results of cornstarch vs. a gelatin-based recipe. I thought the use of gelatin would require keeping the Turkish delight refrigerated (to keep it firm) and make the powdered coating runny, while the cornstarch makes a true candy that does not need to be refrigerated. The result of this recipe was that the texture is on par with any very good Turkish Delights that can be bought. I t seems candy-making is a very precise process that cannot be rushed. I only had to wait a couple of hours for the TD to cool before rolling them in the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture and they were very easy to handle. The other ingredient which caught my attention was the use of honey. The honey is a sublime taste that brings together the other flavorings that I used. I followed the recipe exactly with a couple of flavoring changes. I used 5 teaspoons Rose Water, 1 packet or about 1/8 tsp. Lemon Crystals (or Lemon Salt, which is a common garnish to baklava or other Phyllo dough desserts which is sprinkled sparingly over after the syrup to give it a citrus kick ) and 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla extract. I mixed this separately to taste before adding the food coloring. The combination reduces the soapy taste of the Rose Water , while adding a depth of other flavors that still retain the authenticity of regional cuisine. I kept half of the mixture with no nuts. In the other pan, I added 1/4 cup of very coarsely chopped slivered almonds sprinkled with 2 to 3 drops of almond extract to kick up the flavor. This came out tasting really great! Next time, I will try Pistachios. Everything about this recipe turned out exactly as I expected and I would definitely make this again.
duckdoodles
Ridgewood, New Jersey
9/1/2015
I cross-checked literally dozens of Turkish Delight recipes before trying this one, and it was the right choice! The previous commenter notes that the flavor and texture were strange. They are; but I think they're positively delicious and the texture wonderful. My only difficulty with the recipe is that, since honey is used in the initial mixture, it's hard to know when the final mixture turns amber-colored...mine pretty much stayed the same color through 45 minutes of cooking. But that amount of time worked well, despite my uncertainty about it. I took half my final mixture (before adding any flavorings) and mixed 1 tsp orange blossom water, about 1/3 cup chopped pistachios, and a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon. Very good, though I'd go a little lighter on the cinnamon next time. To the other half of the final mixture, I added 1.5 tsp rose water and 1 tsp juice from crushed raspberries (both to color - I didn't want to use artificial color - and to lessen any soapiness of the rose flavor.) Turned out exactly as I hoped! Excellent, light flavor.
claudiaduffy
Atlanta, GA
2/10/2015
this review is in combination with my prior review to register my rating. 2 forks..
RenataK
10/27/2014
I've had experience making many different candy recipes but unfortunately I didn't love this recipe. I found the rose flavour very mild and the texture strange, almost like a soft chewy fat consistency. Perhaps adding gelatine would give these candies a slightly firmer texture. Next time I would cross- reference a few other Turkish delight recipes before making them again.
RenataK
Canada
10/27/2014
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