6 Easy Steps to Making Quick Scottish Tablet (2024)

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Elaine Lemm

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 04/18/23

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Diana Rattray

Tested byDiana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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Ingredients

1 cup (8-ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, more for greasing the pan
2 cups whole milk
4 pounds superfine sugar, about 9 cups
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Flavorings like pure vanilla extract orwhisky, to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Butter a 9 x 13-inch or 9-inch square pan, depending on the desired thickness.
In a large saucepan, heat the milk on low heat. Add the butter, stirring continuoulsy until melted.
Affix a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Add the sugar, stirring continuously until it dissolves. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a hard boil for 5 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent the sugar from sticking to the sides of the pan and/or burning, until the temperature registers 250 F (known as the hard-ball stage in candy and toffee making).
Carefully add the condensed milk, stirring to combine. Because the sugar is at a high temperature it may splatter, so use caution.
Lower the heat to low and continue to simmer until medium bubbles form on the surface, and the mixture begins to darken slightly, reduce and thicken, 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a kitchen towel on a work surface. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on high until it is no longer smooth and shiny, and appears grainy and thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in any optional flavorings.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a silicone spatula.
Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When the tablet is cool but still soft, cut into 1-inch squares. Let sit until completely cooled. If you prefer, put the pan in the freezer to make sure it is completely cold.
Wrap tablet pieces in greaseproof paper and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Tips

As with any candy-making process, be mindful of your safety and the safety of others when making Scottish tablet:

The mixture reaches very high temperatures, so use caution when preparing. Keep kids and pets away for safety.
For this recipe, you will need a heavy-based, minimum 4-quart capacity saucepan. Use anything larger if you have it. Since the Scottish tablet reaches a rolling boil, sometimes the mixture can swell up quickly and boil over if the heat is a fraction too high. A larger pan will make it safer.
Have a dry kitchen towel with you at all times. Do not touch spilled candy with bare hands—use your towel. Remember that the steam burns as bad and sometimes worse than the candy itself.
Use the back burners of your stove, a wooden spatula for mixing, and thick heat-resistant gloves to manipulate the pot.

Recipe Variations

Tablet can be flavored as desired by simply adding your favorite flavor like peppermint, vanilla, or orange extract, ground cinnamon, or whisky.
Roasted, chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, and almonds are also a nice addition.
If you can't find superfine or caster sugar, you can use a food processor to make it at home. Process granulated sugar, in batches, until fine, about 20 to 30 seconds. It should be fine, not powdery.

How to Store Scottish Tablet

Store Scottish tablet in an airtight container with pieces separated by wax paper or parchment paper. Keep it at room temperature for up to 10 days or store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
Scottish tablet may be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap it in wax pepper, then wrap it in foil or plastic wrap. Place the wrapped tablet in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Why Is My Scottish Tablet Not Setting?

If your Scottish tablet isn't setting up, the reason likely has to do with temperature. The mixture must be brought up to a full boil for five minutes and reach 250 F before simmering. Use a candy thermometer for best results.

British Desserts
Candy

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
267	Calories
6g	Fat
53g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 40
Amount per serving
Calories	267
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g	8%
Saturated Fat 4g	19%
Cholesterol 18mg	6%
Sodium 59mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 53g	19%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 53g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg	2%
Calcium 54mg	4%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 68mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Candy
dessert
scottish
valentine's day

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6 Easy Steps to Making Quick Scottish Tablet (2024)

FAQs

Why is my Scottish tablet not hardening? ›

Why Is My Scottish Tablet Not Setting? If your Scottish tablet isn't setting up, the reason likely has to do with temperature. The mixture must be brought up to a full boil for five minutes and reach 250 F before simmering.

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How long does Scottish tablet last once made? ›

How long does Scottish Tablet Keep? Tablet is over 50% sugar and because sugar is a natural preservative, it means that if it is kept in an airtight tin and stored at room temperature, it can last for around 10 days. If you keep it in the fridge, however, it can keep for a few weeks!

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What's the difference between fudge and Scottish tablet? ›

There are two main differences the first is the sugar:fat ratios. Scottish Tablet is higher in sugar and Fudge is higher in fat. The second difference is the temperature they are cooked to. Fudge doesn't need to be cooked to as high a temperature as Scottish Tablet.

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What does tablet mean in Scottish? ›

Tablet (taiblet in Scots) is a medium-hard, sugary confection from Scotland. Tablet is usually made from sugar, condensed milk, and butter, which is boiled to a soft-ball stage and allowed to crystallise. It is often flavoured with vanilla and sometimes has nut pieces in it.

Explore More ›

Can I reboil a Scottish tablet? ›

If you pour it into the tin and it doesn't set, don't worry, just reboil for a little while longer (I've done this a few times) Also good with a bit of fresh ginger added at the beginning, flavours the tablet beautifully and leaves little exciting nuggets to bite into!

What is a tablet in Scottish slang? ›

Tablet is occasionally referred to as Scottish or Scots tablet or as Swiss Milk tablet, since some people call condensed milk “Swiss Milk”. For most Scots, tablet is their favourite sweet, especially when home-made.

Get More Info Here ›

What makes fudge taste like fudge? ›

Fudge incorporates sugar, milk, butter, and other ingredients such as cocoa for chocolate fudge. The chocolatier then heats these products together until they melt. After this, the mixture is beaten during the cooling process. Think of fudge as a food consisting of crystallized sugar.

Tell Me More ›

What is the Scottish slang for woman? ›

One of the most popular Scottish slang words is “hen,” referring to a young lady, and usually used as a term of endearment.

Discover More Details ›

What is a Scottish child called? ›

Bairn is a Northern England English, Scottish English and Scots term for a child. It originated in Old English as "bearn", becoming restricted to Scotland and the North of England c. 1700. In Hull the r is dropped and the word Bain is used.

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Why won't my Scottish tablet set? ›

If your tablet doesn't set, it means it didn't reach the right temperature. It is possible to rescue it by putting it back into the pan and bringing to a boil again. That sometimes means it gets a little overcooked and won't taste quite as smooth, so keep a close eye on it to see when it's darkened and ready.

Why is my tablet not going hard? ›

If your tablet hasn't set, then it probably didn't reach the correct temperature while cooking. The tablet needs to boil for a good 15-20 minutes to reach setting point. This is why I highly recommend using a sugar thermometer – it will really help take the guess work out of wondering if your tablet will set properly.

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How long does it take for tablet to harden? ›

Leave to set for 30 minutes, then mark into squares with a sharp knife. Leave to set for at least a couple of hours, but ideally overnight. If you prefer, rather than marking it into squares, you can just leave the tablet to set then break it up, for a more rustic look. Store in an airtight container.

Read On ›

What to do if the tablet doesn't set? ›

If your Tablet still doesn't set, it is possible to pour it back in a pan, reheat, and start the process again. It can turn out a bit more sugary/grainy, but at least you'll still get Tablet!

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