Confession time… I’m a sugar addict. It will be of no surprise to those around me to be fair! From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I’m looking for my next sugar hit. It’s certainly not ideal but growing up in Scotland with sweet treats like Scottish Tablet, it’s really unavoidable.
A couple of weeks ago I came across a wee image on Facebook that made me laugh. It compared candy floss, syrup and sugar to Scottish tablet, with tablet coming out tops in the sweetness stakes. Probably a pretty accurate comparison to be fair!
Anyone who has indulged in Scottish Tablet will tell you it’s really like nothing else in the world. A first glance you would be forgiven for assuming it is fudge but when you bite into a piece it instantly becomes clear that this is no fudge! With a gritty, melt-in-the-mouth texture and so sweet it makes your teeth ache; it really is quite unique.
“Made this tonight, followed the recipe to the letter, turned out fantastic!! I haven’t had tablet like this since I was a kid living in Scotland and my mum used to make it for the school fete. Beautiful!”
Scottish tablet in theory is quite easy to make but it does take a bit of skill to get just right. I would always recommend a sugar thermometer to get the temperature exact and be prepared to use some elbow grease beating the tablet to its setting point. Even then, the perfect tablet still comes down to a bit of luck. But when it does go perfectly, you’ll end up with the best tablet you’ve ever tasted!
Ingredients:
Caster Sugar
Being sweeter than sweet, sugar was always going to be the biggest ingredient in tablet! Caster sugar is by far the best but you can swap to Golden Caster Sugar for a more caramel-y flavour.
Milk
There’s many recipes where I’ll recommend full-fat milk as preference but when it comes to tablet it really is a necessity. See below for details on how to make your tablet dairy-free.
Butter
Salted or unsalted butter is fine; just whichever you have to hand.
Condensed Milk
Literally one of my most favourite ingredients in baking. Just be sure to leave a little condensed milk in the tin and on the spoon (purely for licking clean!).
Scottish Tablet
Ingredients
- 900 g Caster Sugar
- 250 ml Full-fat Milk
- 110 g Butter
- 1
397g Tin of Condensed Milk
Instructions
- Place the sugar and milk in a large pan over a gentle heat. Stir occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved. Pre-grease a 13×9 inch tray
with a generous amount of butter and set aside.
- Once all the sugar has dissolved add the butter and allow to melt.
- When the butter has melted, add the condensed milk and mix well. Increase the heat and stir continuously while the mixture boils and reaches Soft-Ball stage (120°c) on your thermometer.
- Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to settle a little before beating. Beat with a wooden spoon in the pan until the mixture if almost setting. This may take a good bit of beating!
- Transfer to your pre-greased tray and spread evenly to the edges/corners.
- Leave to set for at least a couple of hours but ideally overnight. If you want neatly cut squares/bars of tablet score your tablet in your desired size/shape about 30 minutes into setting. Alternatively you can simply break the tablet into individual servings once set for a more rustic feel.
with a generous amount of butter and set aside.Free-from & Vegan
Vegan: Replace the dairy full-fat milk for coconut milk, and use coconut cream in place of the condensed milk. Swap the butter for your favourite dairy-free spread.
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Yummy… It is quite easy to make but it does take a bit of skill to get right. It is worth giving a try.
Just followed your recipe and used my new thermometer …amazing thing is the old way of boiling for 20 minutes gives exactly 120° !! Thermometer not so hit and miss though ;) xx
I’ve tried making this recipe to the T but it still comes out soft any ideas
Need to let it boil longer and let the colour carmelize. Take it off heat and beat vigorously with electric beaters for at least 5 mins until it starts to get thick then pour into the pan
I’ve had trouble getting tablet to be firm also, and I am guessing that at higher altitudes we need to boil longer. I’m at 814 feet (248 meters). I’m going to try a few degrees higher on my candy thermometer next time.
Love this. Would it be okay to share on our social media channels?
Thanks
Polly
Cake Cetera
https://cake-cetera.co.uk/
Ended up with toffee don’t know why ??
Every grain of sugar MUST be dissolved before you let it boil. That is the very best tip I was ever given. Take off heat immediately a bubble appears, give it a minute and put back on to heat.
Ha ha I’ve not tried it yet but I can imagine that happening to mine
Don’t know that I would make tablet with recipe again –
1. Strained my wrist and almost burnt out the motor in my beaters.
2. I doubt my granny would have had enough time for the beating required considering she would have been doing it by hand or even with rotary hand beaters it would put a hell of strain on her wrists.
Use an electric beater for a couple of minutes then beat by hand to get rid of bubbles. Only a couple of minutes and pour. Good luck.
Isn’t granny a saucy bugger
My mum used to set the pan in a sink with cold water and only had to beat for a couple of minutes.
Just finished making this!! Follow the direction, it will come out Perfect!! My gran used to hand beat it, is used electric mixer. Best recipe ♡♡
can I use an stand mixer to beat it?:)
there is no need to beat it ,I have never beat it when I make it I let all the sugar dissolve on a medium heat then put the electric stove higher ( the electric burner should be at 5 when you see the bubbles forming keep stirring for 18 minutes ( the tablet should be a medium brown colour ) take off heat and pour on to a baking pan and let stand till hardened.
for your information it the tablet does not harden when placed on the baking pan just place back into the pot and let it boil again keep stirring it for one or two minutes and again pour into the baking pan and it will harden I know this through experience Good luck
You can stand in a bowl of cold water for the first minute of beating which greatly reduces the time.
Doesn’t standing in a bowl of cold water make you go all blue ????
Only your tossies
Is this the crumbly or the creamy type of tablet? I am after the crumbly kind.
Just wanted to say that Canada is completely mad because our typical tins of sweetened condensed milk come in 300ml, unlike the 380ml or 390ml that the rest of the world (U.S. and the U.K.) seems to get them in. So many recipes call for ‘one tin’ of the stuff, but that ‘one tin’ is 380ml or 390ml, so our ‘one tin’ is never enough!
Good point to make. Thanks from a 71 year old.
Hi, looking for a bit of advice. I’ve made this recipie a few times now and the first few times it worked perfect however the last couple of times after beating it when I go to pour it out it starts frothing in the pan and continues once it’s in my tray for a few seconds before deflating. It seems to set pretty quickly and when you taste the tablet it tastes fine and is not grainy.
after it is made, how do you store it? and for how long? i need to make this as well as other sweets for an event in 3 weeks, and want to get a head start on my work?
Fantastic recipe!!!Just like I remember tablet when I was wee and my gran made it..aaah happy sugary memories
Hi what if you dont have a thermometer
Just use a saucer and cold water for testing.
I have just tried making this, followed the recipe to the letter and it has been a huge success. The guys at work will get a fair treat tomorrow. Thanks
I have always had a sweet tooth for tablet, but have never made it, until last week. This recipe worked out a treat and I took about 70% of it into work with a health and tooth warning.. it was just so moreish and loved by all who tried it. Thank you, it will definitely be made again and again.
Oh yummy!
This is just like Dutch borstplaat, roomborstplaat or roomfondant. A sweet we enjoy around Sinterklaas in the beginning of December. It is sweetness up to a different level!
I’ve been making tablet for 50+ years, and this is the best recipe!!
Thank you
Hi granny,
Why use caster sugar…. Granulated sugar at almost half the price does the same…. I. Also add a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
Just made my first batch, as soon as that is out of the tin, Im making a second batch and put in a handful of walnuts for a change. Ive some nice cellophane bags and some sparkley string I shall add small bundles to everyones Christmas present.
Thankyou, Judy Chestenrfield.ju
Could you please give me this recipe using American measurements… My Mum was from Scotland and has since passed. She always made tablet for us. I would love to try this recipe. Tablet was actually made to give to the men who went to war. Tea time was a must and dropping a piece of tablet in their tea was easier than trying to carry cream and sugar.
I live in Michigan but was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. My Dad was a baker and confectioner, and made tablet all the time.
I make it here and usually make quite a big batch.
4 lbs Sugar
1 pint full milk
Half pound unsalted butter
2 tins condensed milk
When I take it off the heat, I add one tablespoon Vanilla essence.
Hope that helps.
Just for clarity, I’m guessing that the recipe should read 4 cups of sugar instead of 4 lbs…
re:previous comment: my mistake- I didn’t notice that this recipe makes a double batch, which would indeed call for 4 lbs. My apologies.
I used Google to translate the exact amounts to U.S. The butter is half a cup or one stick. The sugar is 4 1/2 cups not four. The whole milk is 1 cup. Our tins of condensed milk (evaporated milk), are slightly smaller in the U.S. (12 oz is 340 grams, compared to a 397 gram tin in the recipe), but I used it as is with only 340 grams.
My results: I set the timer for 20 minutes when it came to a boil as per someone’s comment above, and I was watching a candy thermometer. After dissolving the sugar, I turned the heat up to 5 1/2 (out of 10, so slightly higher than medium heat). At 12 minutes my temperature was 115 C / 240 F, which according to my thermometer is EXACTLY soft ball stage, but my tablet was also starting to scorch so I had to remove it immediately! I did notice I was also getting “sheeting” off of the spoon, for any of you who make jelly or preserves the old fashioned way, so I knew it would set, I was just worried about the brown bits giving a poor taste and texture. I pulled out as much of the bits as I could, then started beating, almost didn’t pour in time while I still could. I was so surprised it came out so well! The taste is lovely, the texture is creamy, it set in a few minutes. I am at 814 feet above sea level.
For those of you in the U.S. you might try using my conversions for amounts. And I would suggest to everyone that if you have had trouble getting yours to set, you might try looking up the “sheeting” indication for soft ball, as I always had trouble with no-pectin added jams until I learned that method. Basically, you just lift your spoon out and turn it on it’s side. When it no longer drips a single drip from one location of the spoon, but instead you get multiple drips or wide drips, then you know you are there! It will set.
Thank you so much for this recipe! :)
I found another site that had the same recipe and posted the U.S. equivalents: 4 1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup milk, 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I made it yesterday, and it turned out perfectly. I have always loved chocolate fudge here in the U.S., but tried Scottish vanilla tablet last year at a local Scottish confectionary. I fell in love with it and recently found recipes online. So happy I can save money and make this at home.
Best tablet recipe I’ve tried – thank you!