Sweet Scottish Tablet Recipes

SCOTTISH BUTTER TABLET

Steps:

• Generously butter a 13x18-inch sheet pan or two 8x8-inch square pans, and set aside.
• Stir together condensed milk, cream, sugar, salt, and butter in a large (4-quart), heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture has reached a boil, turn heat to low, and continue cooking and stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of the mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. This should take about 20 minutes.
• Once the mixture has attained a light tan color, remove from heat, and beat vigorously (but carefully!) with a wooden spoon until the mixture cools and thickens. Stop beating when you can feel the mixture turn from smooth to grainy. Mix in vanilla extract.
• Pour into the prepared pan. Don't scrape any crystallized bits from the bottom of the pan, or it may cause the whole batch to crystallize. While still warm, score the tablet into 2-inch squares with the tip of a paring knife. Allow to cool 6 hours to overnight until set. Cut into squares with a serrated knife. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

SCOTTISH TABLET

Steps:

• Butter a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan, and set aside.
• Pour milk, water, cream, and sugar into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the butter, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. After 20 minutes, remove from heat, and beat in vanilla extract. Continue to stir until the mixture is no longer glossy. Pour into prepared pan, and let cool until hard, about 6 hours.

PERFECT SCOTTISH TABLET

Steps:

• 1. Grease a shallow tin approx. 25cm X 35cm.
• 2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pan (as tall as you have) over a low heat. Add the sugar, salt and milk and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer over a fairly high heat for eight minutes.
• 3. Add the condensed milk, stir well, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for about another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Start testing at this point: once it reaches 115C, it's done. (Alternatively, dribble some of the mixture on to a cold saucer. Leave for a couple of minutes, then push it with your finger; if it sets, it's done.)
• 4. Take off the heat, add any flavourings, if using, and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or electric beaters until thickened but still pourable (about 10 minutes if done manually, less with beaters). Pour into the prepared tin and leave to set, scoring squares after about 20 minutes. It is best left out to dry slightly overnight.

SWEET SCOTTISH TABLET

Steps:

• Grease and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine sugar and milk in a large stainless steel pan; stir well. Add sweetened condensed milk and butter; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture turns a deep tan color and is thickened, about 10 minutes. Heat to 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) or until a small amount of mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
• Vigorously stir mixture, scraping sides down and mixing well. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool at room temperature until set, 1 to 3 hours. Cut into small squares or "tablets".

SCOTTISH TABLET (FUDGE) - CANDY FOR SWEET TOOTH

Steps:

• On a low heat slowly heat the sugar, syrup, butter and milk in a large heavy bottomed pan until all the sugar is dissolved.
• It is quite important to make sure the sugar is dissolved before turning up the heat as it will not set properly. Hints to make sure all the sugar dissolved. Clean round the side of the pan with a pastry brush and boiling water. Dip a desert spoon in to the sugar liquid and if it comes out with no grains of sugar then the sugar is dissolved. Another test is to listen when stirring with wooden spoon to hear if the sound is grainy if it no longer sounds grainy then the sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to Boil until the temperature reaches soft-ball stage (240º F or 115º C). Soft Ball Stage is when a spoonful of hot syrup is dropped into a bowl of very cold water. Then using your fingers in the water, take the cooled syrup and form it into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup can be easily rolled in the cold water into a soft ball that doesn't hold its shape.
• When the mixture has reached the correct temperature take the pan off the heat.
• Add the vanilla.
• Beat the mixture until it is grainy. This is a faint sound that is made from the mixture against the pan when it has been beaten and slightly cooler.
• Pour into a Swiss roll tray.
• Leave to cool.
• When part set mark into portions. Either bite size or rectangles (6x8cm).
• Continue to leave the mixture until it is cold and set completely.
• Can store in an airtight container for up to 1 month (if you put a padlock on it and don't eat it yourself).
• Serving suggestions :- Wrap the rectangular portions in greaseproof paper or put the bite size pieces into a pretty box lined with greaseproof paper and give as a gift.