Like fudge, but so much better. More crumbly, buttery, melt-in mouth with a grainier texture that will leave you coming back for more. Often a wedding favour in Scotland or served with afternoon tea, a coffee shop in Aberdeen close to my mum's house serve their coffees with a chunk of tablet and I'll happily walk the hour + round trip to get my fix. Keeps for up to 2 months, making it perfect for gifting. Traditionally (like this recipe) it's made on the stove with a wooden spoon, constantly stirring, making it a great time to catch up on podcasts and audiobooks.
Total time to make : 30 minutes + cool time
Servings : makes 96 1" chunks
Ingredients
900g caster sugar
250ml whole milk
1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
120g butter
Pinch of salt
Method
In a very large saucepan or pot over a medium - low heat, pour in the milk and sugar. Use a wooden spoon to constantly stir for about 5 minutes until all of the sugar is dissolved. Add in the butter, stir until melted
Pour in the condensed milk and turn the heat up to a high, bringing the mixture to a gentle boil. Constantly stir making sure the sugar doesn't catch and burn at the bottom of the pan (which is very easy to do!) It should double in size. Bring the heat down slightly but keep the mixture at a vigorous simmer, then continue to stir for about 20 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly and darken in colour. If you're using a sugar thermometer, you want it to get to 120C. You can also do the sugar drop test*
Remove from the heat and stir for a few more minutes to make sure the base doesn't burn. At this point, sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt and stir to mix. Then, let the saucepan sit, off the heat for 5 - 10 minutes. It will start to cool and should be amber in colour and quite thick. Grease and line a 9 x 13" baking tray with baking paper
Use the wooden spoon again to beat the mixture until it starts to set and stick to the sides of the pan. Pour this mixture into the lined baking tray
Leave the tablet to set uncovered for at least 6 hours - ideally overnight. Either shatter the entire slab for more rustic chunks, or 20 minutes after it's been poured into the tin, take a sharp knife and score the top of the tablet, then leave it to set. This makes it much easier to slice once it's cooled and stops it from shattering
Nutritional Information
(per 1" square)
61 calories
1g fat, 12g carbs, 1g protein
Good to know:
The mixture will start to bubble and boil up to about twice the volume, which is why we need the large saucepan
Boiling sugar can cause serious burns so this is not a recipe to taste test along the way..! Please be careful
The sugar drop test is explained well here. We want it to reach soft ball stage. Use a teaspoon to carefully scoop some out and into the cold water, then wait for a few seconds before fishing it back out to touch-test it
Keep for up to 2 months in an airtight container
You can mix in your own flavours to personalise (2 tsp vanilla paste, up to 60ml of rum, whisky, Baileys etc.)