How to Make Turkish Delight

Making Turkish delight. In this recipe video, we’ll show you how to make Turkish delight, also known as lokum. You can try this simple and easy homemade Turkish delight recipe at home!

Turkish Delight, also known as lokum, most likely originated in Turkey in the 1700s. Part of the family of confections that use a mixture of starch, like flour or cornstarch, and sugar, it’s usually flavored with a bit of rose water, orange, or lemon. The candy is usually cut into small cubes and individually wrapped. It is said that Turkish delight, with its gummy interior, was the early precursor of the modern jelly bean. Turkish Delight may be a delight for some accustomed palates but can be fancifully altered with a number of different flavor concentrates. Whip up a batch to coerce and manipulate the black sheep of your choosing today. Turkish delight or lokum is a Turkish delicacy that is based on a mixture of starch and sugar that is colored with food coloring.

Ingredients for making Turkish delight:

4 cups Sugar
4 1/2 cups Water
2 tsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Lemon zest
1 1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 tsp Cream of tartar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2-4 drops Red Food Coloring
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions for making Turkish delight:

– Start by adding 4 cups of granulated sugar to a pot then pour in 1 1/2 cups of water followed by 2 tsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of lemon zest
– Turn the heat on high and whisk the mixture until it comes up to a boil
– Turn the heat down to medium-high and continue cooking until the color darkens slightly and the temperature reads between 240-250 F
– At this point, remove from the heat and VERY CAREFULLY pour the liquid through a sieve into a glass jug to remove any sugar crystals that may have formed
– Set this aside and in a larger pot add 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 tsp of cream of tartar, and 3 cups of water
– Whisk until all the cornstarch has been incorporated into the water and there are no lumps
– Turn the heat to high and whisk frequently unit the mixture comes to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low and continue whisking until it thickens
– Now you can start to add the sugar mixture gradually making sure to whisk in between until all the sugar has been added
– The mixture needs to cook on low heat for about 45 minutes stirring frequently
– When it’s done, the mixture will be a nice golden color and you’re ready to add the flavoring
– We went with vanilla but rosewater or orange are also popular choices
– You can also add some red food coloring to get this lovely shade of pink
– Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 8-inch baking dish and spread it out evenly with a spatula
– This now needs to set in the fridge overnight
– The next day when you’re ready to serve, combine 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar with 1/4 cup of corn starch through a sieve
– Give it a little mix then sprinkle a small handful over the set sugar mixture
– Spread it out with your hands then carefully flip the dish over and the Turkish delight should fall to the counter
– You can then remove the dish and the parchment paper and give the other side a generous sprinkle of the sugar and cornstarch mixture
– This will be very sticky so don’t skimp on the coating
– Dust your knife with the cornstarch mixture then firmly slice the Turkish delight into roughly 24 pieces or more if you prefer smaller bites
– Finally, transfer the pieces to the remaining cornstarch and sugar and gently toss until all side have a thin coating