Scottish Tablet
Sugar, butter and condensed milk boiled and beaten until it sets firm and grainy: sweeter and crumblier than fudge.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 3 hr
- Makes
- 40 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
Tablet is Scotland's best-loved sweet. It is made like fudge, but it is beaten longer as it cools, so it sets harder, with a fine, sandy texture that snaps and then melts in the mouth.
It needs care rather than skill: the mixture gets very hot, so use a deep, heavy pan and keep children well back.
Ingredients
- 125gunsalted butter, plus a little for the tin
- 250mlwhole milk
- 1kggranulated or caster sugar
- 397gtin sweetened condensed milk
- 1tspvanilla extract, optional
Equipment
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Method
- 1
Butter a 20 × 30 cm tin and line it with baking paper.
- 2
Put the butter and milk in a large, deep, heavy saucepan over a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved and no longer feels gritty on the spoon, about 10 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the condensed milk. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then keep it at a steady, rolling boil, stirring all the time so it does not catch, for 20–30 minutes. It will darken to a light caramel colour. It is ready at 116–118°C on a sugar thermometer (the "soft ball" stage): a drop in cold water forms a soft ball.
- 4
Take the pan off the heat, add the vanilla and beat hard with a wooden spoon for 5–10 minutes. It is ready when it thickens, loses its shine and you feel it start to drag and turn grainy.
- 5
Pour quickly into the tin and smooth the top. Leave for 15 minutes, score into squares, then leave to set completely before breaking along the lines.
Photo: theilr · CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
Tips
Safety: boiling sugar is far hotter than boiling water. Use a pan that is no more than a third full, wear long sleeves and keep a bowl of cold water nearby for tests.
Stored in an airtight tin between sheets of baking paper, tablet keeps for 2–3 weeks. For another Scottish teatime classic, try shortbread.
Using a different tin? Change "Your tin" and the ingredient quantities above update automatically.
Convert tin sizes
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If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Never sets, stays soft | Not boiled long enough | Boil to 116–118°C; test a drop in cold water before beating |
| Sets in the pan before pouring | Beaten too long | Pour as soon as it starts to thicken and lose its gloss |
| Gritty, not smooth-grained | Sugar not fully dissolved before boiling | Stir over a low heat until no crystals remain |
| Burnt flecks | Heat too high or not stirred | Use a heavy pan and keep stirring, especially at the bottom |
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