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Sugarplum Turkish delight recipe

Sugarplum Turkish delight recipe

14 ratings

Who doesn't love Turkish delight? These soft and chewy treats are made with sweetened plums and dusted with icing sugar for a final Christmas flourish. See method

  • Makes 40 squares
  • 1 hr 10 mins plus overnight setting
  • 82 calories / serving
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten-free

Ingredients

  • vegetable oil, for greasing
  • 300g plums, destoned and roughly chopped
  • 650g caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 100g cornflour, plus 50g
  • 50g icing sugar

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    350kj
    82kcal     4%

  • Fat

    0g 0%

  • Saturates

    0g 0%

  • Sugars

    19g 21%

  • Salt

    0g 0%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 21.6g Protein 0.1g Fibre 0.2g

Method

  1. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin with lightly oiled clingfilm. Put the plums in a medium, lidded saucepan with 50ml water; cover and simmer over a medium heat for 5-7 mins or until breaking apart. Transfer to a heatproof jug and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. There should be 300ml purée; set the jug aside.
  2. Put the caster sugar in a large saucepan with the lemon juice, cream of tartar and 300ml water. Heat gently over a low-medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to the boil – remove from the heat as soon as it starts to boil.
  3. Put the 100g cornflour in a bowl and whisk in the plum purée until smooth. Gradually whisk into the pan with the sugar syrup. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then cook for 5 mins, stirring constantly, until thickened and large sticky bubbles appear. Continue cooking for 30-40 mins, stirring frequently to stop the bottom burning, until the mixture is very thick, reduced and starts to come away from the sides of the pan. If using a sugar thermometer, it should read 112-115°C, or you can test it by dropping a small amount into a bowl of iced water – after 1 min it should hold its shape well and feel firm, but will be soft and squidgy when pressed.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, cover with a tea towel (making sure it doesn’t touch the surface) and leave to set overnight at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge 1 hr before you’re ready to cut. Sieve the icing sugar and extra 50g cornflour into a bowl and whisk well to combine. Dust half onto a clean worktop and over a sharp knife. Turn out the Turkish delight and peel off the clingfilm, then use the dusted knife to cut into 1.5cm squares. Toss with the remaining icing sugar and cornflour mix, and pack into cardboard gift boxes or paper bags. Will keep for up to a week at room temperature.
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