Scottish Tablet

:A crumbly, fudge-like, super-sweet candy popular across Scotland.

Yield:approx 10 dozen 1″ pieces

•Sugar – 5 Cups

•Milk – ½ Cup

•Butter, cubed – ½ Cup

•Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 Can (15oz/300ml)

•Vanilla – 1 tsp

Read all instructions through twice. Remove children, pets and anything else that may get underfoot in the next hour. Candy making involves boiling molten sugar for an extended period and is DANGEROUS. Use a long handled wooden spoon to stir and avoid splatters.

Heavily butter a 13” x 9” glass or metal pan.

Mix together sugar and milk in a large saucepan until all sugar is dampened. Stir in butter and condensed milk. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture boils, 10-20 minutes.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until mixture is 240° F (soft-ball stage) and a rich butterscotch colour, 10-25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Beat tablet with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed until it thickens, but is still pourable, 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, beat vigorously with wooden spoon for 10-15 minutes. (Your mixing arm will not be happy.)

Pour into prepared pan and cool overnight, to allow it to dry slightly. Cut into squares. Store in airtight tin.

Pairs very well with the single malt of your choice, or a tall glass of milk.

Ith do leòr! (Eat Plenty)

Notes:

•Fill a bowl with ice water and keep it by the stove. If an accident or spill happens, plunge your affected area into the bowl and keep it there for 3 minutes. This will greatly reduce the burn — trust me, I know all about it.

•I’ve included a wide range of times in this recipe. Everybody’s experience with this recipe (and candy-making in general) will be different. We all have different stoves, with differing medium heats. Differences in pans and humidity, etc. can also change timing.

•Beating the tablet is essential to form sugar crystals that are big enough to set, but small enough to still pour from the pan. Beat it until it has thickened, but stop before gritty lumps form.

•Sure, you could replace the vanilla with whisky, but unless you add a couple of tablespoons, you probably won’t taste it. I prefer my whisky in a glass.