Turkish Delight is a traditional flavored gelatin candy with nuts. Also known as “lokum” and by many other names throughout the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Ingredients
3 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons white corn syrup
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon of rose water (or vanilla)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts (or nuts of choice, optional)
powdered sugar
red or green food coloring (optional)
Directions
- Combine granulated sugar with water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan and boil until it reaches 240 F on a candy thermometer or soft ball stage. Keep hot.
- In a small bowl, soften the gelatin in the lemon juice. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup of cold water, then pour it into the hot syrup. Stir gently and simmer slowly until very thick. Remove from heat, add gelatin and lemon juice and stir until gelatin dissolves.
- Stir in rose water or vanilla, nuts (optional) and 2 to 3 drops food coloring if desired.
- Sprinkle a generous layer of powdered sugar in an 8-inch square pan. Pour in mixture and let set in a cool dry place (the refrigerator is too humid) for 3 or 4 hours or until set.
- Sprinkle with another layer of powdered sugar and cut into 1-inch squares. Dredge each square in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Alternate names and spellings: lokma, lokum, luqam (Turkey), rāḥat al-hulqūm (Arabic), ḥalqūm (North Africa and Saudi Arabia), kabdat alfaras (Kuwait), lokhum (Armenia), malban (Egypt), loukoumi (Greece), rahat (Romania and Moldova), rahat-lokum, ratluk, llokum (Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo).