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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1½ cup water
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp rosewater
- Food coloring
- ½ cup chopped toasted pistachios or almonds (optional)
- Icing sugar, granulated sugar, or desiccated coconut for dusting
Ingredients for 6 servings (925 g) · the original recipe
Method
- 1
Combine sugar, 1 cup water, cream of tartar, and flavoring(s) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Stovetop - 2
Boil over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the mixture reaches "firm-ball," or 250°F (120°C) on a candy thermometer.
Stovetop - 3
In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch with ½ cup hot water, mix completely, and slowly stir into sugar mixture.
- 4
Stir constantly until mixture is evenly combined. Continue to stir on low heat until mixture thickens and becomes clearer.
Stovetop - 5
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.
- 6
Pour the thickened hot mixture into the pan or form and allow to set.
- 7
When cool, release from form or cut into cubes as applicable and roll each piece in powdered sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut.
- 8
Store at room temperature in airtight container.
Recipe from Wikibooks Cookbook, written by Wikibooks contributors. Used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; the ingredient list and method on this page are taken from that page and edited (its notes, tips and variations are not reproduced), and are available under the same licence. The macros, equipment tags and scaling are Ma Kitchen’s own and are not the source’s figures. Ma Kitchen is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wikibooks Cookbook. Copied on 2026-11-12.
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