Colorful Homemade Turkish Delight

There is a unique joy that comes from making a beloved confection from scratch, watching simple pantry staples transform into something truly special. This recipe guides the beginner cook through the delightful process of preparing Turkish Delight, or Lokum. The result is a pile of soft, chewy, jewel-toned cubes dusted in a sweet cloud of powdered sugar, just as shown in the photo. These sun-kissed red, orange, and green morsels are a treat for the eyes and the palate, and making them at home is a wonderfully rewarding experience.

Essential Kitchen Tools

Before beginning, it’s helpful to gather all the necessary equipment. Having everything ready makes the process smooth and enjoyable.

• 🥣 Large, heavy-bottomed saucepan
• 🌡️ Candy thermometer
• 🥄 Whisk
• ◼️ 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) square baking pan
• 📜 Parchment paper
• 🔪 Sharp knife
• 🥣 3 small, heatproof bowls
• • Sifter or fine-mesh sieve

Gathering Your Ingredients

This recipe relies on a few key ingredients to achieve that classic soft and chewy texture. For the vibrant colors pictured, specific flavorings and colorings are used for each batch.

• 🍚 4 cups granulated sugar
• 🌽 1 cup cornstarch
• 💧 4 ½ cups cold water, divided
• 🍋 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 🌹 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 🟠 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 🌿 1 teaspoon mint extract
• 🔴 A few drops of halal red food coloring
• 🟠 A few drops of halal orange food coloring
• 🟢 A few drops of halal green food coloring
• 🍬 1 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)
•       Vegetable oil or cooking spray (for the pan and knife)

Step-by-Step to Sweet Success

Patience is the secret ingredient here. Follow these steps carefully, and you will be rewarded with perfect Turkish Delight.

Preparing the Foundation

1. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the 8×8 inch baking pan. Line it with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way, so that there is an overhang on all four sides. This overhang will function as “handles” to easily lift the set candy out of the pan later.
2. In the large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, lemon juice, and 1 ½ cups of the water. Stir over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves completely. Stop stirring, bring the mixture to a boil, and clip on the candy thermometer. The goal is to cook the syrup until it reaches the soft-ball stage, which is 240°F (115°C).
   • Beginner’s Tip: “Soft-ball stage” is a candy-making term. It means that if a tiny bit of the hot syrup is dropped into a glass of very cold water, it will form a soft, flexible ball that flattens when you take it out.

Building the Chewy Base

3. While the sugar syrup is heating, prepare the cornstarch base. In a separate, medium-sized pot, whisk the 1 cup of cornstarch with the remaining 3 cups of cold water until it is perfectly smooth, with no lumps. It’s very important to start with cold water to prevent clumping.
4. Place the cornstarch pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken very quickly into a white, translucent, glue-like paste. Once it’s thick and bubbling, remove it from the heat.
5. By now, the sugar syrup should be at or near the 240°F (115°C) mark. Once it reaches temperature, carefully and very slowly pour the hot syrup into the cornstarch paste in a thin, steady stream, whisking vigorously the entire time. This step is crucial for a smooth final product, so take your time to prevent lumps from forming.
6. Return the combined mixture to the stovetop over low heat. Let it simmer gently for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring with a heatproof spatula every 10-15 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. The mixture is ready when it has become a very thick, pale golden gel that starts to pull away from the sides of the pan as you stir.

Adding Flavor and Color

7. Turn off the heat. Now it’s time to work quickly while the mixture is hot. Evenly divide the thick gel among the three small, heatproof bowls.
8. To the first bowl, add the rosewater and a drop or two of red food coloring to get the vibrant red hue. To the second bowl, add the orange blossom water and orange food coloring for the sunny orange shade. To the third bowl, add the mint extract and green food coloring for the lovely light green cube seen at the top of the pile in the image. Stir each bowl swiftly until the flavor and color are completely uniform.

Setting and Finishing

9. Carefully pour each colored mixture into its own prepared pan, or pour them side-by-side into a larger pan if you have one. Use a lightly oiled spatula to spread them into an even layer.
10. Leave the pan uncovered at room temperature to set for a minimum of 12 hours, though 24 hours is even better. Do not put it in the refrigerator, as the moisture will make the surface sticky and prevent it from setting correctly.
11. For the final touch, prepare the dusting powder. Sift the powdered sugar and ½ cup of the cornstarch together into a shallow dish. This coating gives the Turkish Delight its iconic look and makes it not-so-sticky to handle.
12. Dust a clean work surface with some of the powder. Use the parchment paper handles to lift the firm block of Turkish Delight from its pan and place it onto the dusted surface. Lightly oil a very sharp knife—this is the secret to getting clean, neat cuts. Slice the block into 1-inch cubes.
13. Gently toss the fresh-cut cubes in the dusting powder until every side is generously coated.

Presenting Your Confection

Your beautiful, homemade Turkish Delight is now ready. For a stunning presentation, pile the colorful red, orange, and green cubes high on a decorative plate with a floral pattern, just as shown in the photograph. The contrast between the vibrant candy and the patterned dish is simply beautiful.

It’s a uniquely satisfying process, transforming humble ingredients into these exquisite, chewy gems. The satisfaction of sharing a piece of your very own handmade Lokum is a sweet reward in itself. Go on and give it a try—you might just find your new favorite kitchen project.