Lokum Recipe - Turkish Delight

Love soft and a little sticky Turkish Delight Lokum? Do you know you can make this world-famous Turkish candy at home? It is made with a few simple ingredients and a little patience. Enjoy it either plain or stuffed with nuts like pistachios.

Lokum is one of the most well-known Turkish foods around the world. If you have a love for desserts, also check out our favorite Turkish sweets list!

Let’s learn how to make Turkish delight recipe from scratch! If you ever tasted it, you know how amazing it tastes and how addictive it is. 

It could be challenging when you try to make lokum at home for the first time, but please don’t get discouraged, it is really worth making it especially if you are not living in Turkey. You will love it more than the Turkish delight you buy from a Middle East market around you.

What Is Turkish Delight?

The most popular Turkish candy around the world is Turkish Delight and has become even more popular since people saw it in a scene of the movie The Chronicles Of Narnia.

It is called lokum in Turkish, which means throat comforting. Lokum or loukoum was first produced in Anatolia and then spread all over the world during the period of Ottoman Empire. 

In Turkey, lokum is a staple treat served at holidays (bayrams), mostly with a cup of foamy Turkish Coffee. 

Classic Turkish delight is often sold in small cubes plain or containing nuts at markets. You might also see the ones stuffed with ground pistachio, walnut or hazelnut. We will be sharing both a plain Turkish delight recipe and pistachio stuffed version here. If you want yours plain, just leave the stuffing step out and cut it into cubes.

Turkish Delight In Turkish Culture: It is as popular as Turkish baklava. To tell you the truth, people visiting Turkey from all around the world love Turkish delight candy way more than Turkish people do.

Maybe because we have been enjoying it for ages already, maybe because it’s everywhere here, it doesn’t get that much interest from Turkish people. We do love it with a cup of well prepared and Turkish coffee or Turkish chai black tea though.

Ingredients

It is mainly made of the following ingredients:

• sugar
• water
• citric acid 
• starch
• cream of tartar
• flavorings
• food coloring (optional)

The most popular flavoring used in the making of lokum is rosewater, but you can use any flavoring like orange, vanilla, mint, pomegranate, strawberry or raspberry. 

Also, you can add in nuts like pistachios or hazelnuts in loukoum. Here we will share two varieties of Turkish delight: Recipe for plain lokum and  pistachio Turkish delight recipe.

How To Make The Recipe

First, decide on the pan before starting. It should be a deep one to give your Turkish delight enough thickness. I used a 22x7 cm (9x3 inches) pan for these measurements. Line it with parchment paper and brush it with almond oil. Why almond oil? It doesn’t have a strong taste, so you will not feel it when eating your Turkish delights.

Second, make the sugar syrup. Combine lemon juice, sugar and 250ml water in a deep pot on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then let it continue boiling over medium low heat until it reaches 260F/126C on a candy thermometer, for 10-15 minutes. Read the cold water test tip below if you don’t have a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, make the cornstarch paste in a second pot. Combine cream of tartar, cornstarch and remaining 250ml water until smooth. Cook it over medium high heat whisking constantly so that there aren’t any lumps until it looks like a white paste. 

Next, combine the two mixtures this way: When the sugar syrup reaches 260F/127C, remove it from heat. And slowly add the syrup into the cornstarch mixture, whisking continuously until it is completely combined. 

Now reduce the heat to the lowest and cook it for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken and get a golden color with a gluey texture.

Remove from heat and whisk in the flavoring (rosewater if you use it) and the food coloring. Transfer it into the prepared pan and quickly spread it evenly with a silicone spatula. You should work fast at this step. Let it sit overnight uncovered at room temperature. The top should be hard at the end of this time. Wait it longer if it's still soft or sticky.

For A Classic Plain Turkish Delight

Combine powdered sugar with corn starch in a bowl. Sprinkle it over the counter. Transfer the lokum mixture on the counter. Dust scissors(works better than a knife) with this mixture and cut it first into strips and then into cubes. Roll them in the same starch mixture.

For A Pistachio Stuffed Version

Take mixture from the pan with the parchment under it. Roll it out just like a regular dough. Don't make it very thin. Put ground pistachio on one end and roll it up tightly. Coat it with the powdered sugar and starch mixture and cut it with scissors. Roll them in the same mixture and serve.

Cold Water Test: Put cold water in a bowl. Drop a spoon of sugar syrup into it. It will form a hard ball in the water. It shouldn’t be flattening when you take it out of the water but should be flexible to shape when you gently press it in your fingers. If it doesn’t form that hard ball, it means you need to boil it longer.

Storage

Store your loukoum with a good amount of powdered sugar and starch mixture in an airtight container at room temperature up to a month. No need to refrigerate it unless the weather is too hot.

What Does It Taste Like?

It is a very sweet treat, mainly a combination of sugar and starch with a little sticky texture. The taste depends on the flavoring used. Traditional lokum has a subtle rosewater flavor. But there are flavors like mint, lemon, orange, pomegranate, strawberry. 

Is Cream Of Tartar Vegan?

Yes, cream of tartar is a vegan friendly product. It is made of fruit acid, so completely plant-based.

Is It Vegan?

Yes, many variations of lokum are vegan friendly as they don’t contain any dairy or animal products. However, there are versions stuffed with clotted cream in Turkey called Kaymaklı Lokum. 

Is It Gluten Free?

Classic lokum is made of cornstarch and doesn’t contain any gluten. The recipe we are sharing here is gluten-free too. However, there are lots of variations today. So it’s better to read the ingredient list when you buy it from a store.

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