6 Easy Steps to Making Quick Scottish Tablet (2024)

British Desserts
Candy

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

Tested by

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.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Cooling Time: 30 mins

Total: 85 mins

Servings: 40 servings

Yield: 4 1/2 pounds

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Scottish tablet is an extremely sugary candy with a coarse texture that is not as dense as hard candy but not as soft as fudge. It is brittle, delicious, and seriously addictive. Embedded in Scottish culture since the early 18th century, this candy was originally made with sugar and cream, but more modern recipes (like ours) add butter and condensed milk.

Tablet is easy to make as long as you follow the instructions closely and handle the hot sugar mixture carefully. Everyone with a sweet tooth will love this classic recipe!

6 Easy Steps to Making Quick Scottish Tablet (3)

"This sweet Scottish tablet melts in your mouth, and the recipe makes a big batch. I used my stand mixer for beating and added 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. The texture of the candy is soft, crumbly, and slightly grainy. The instructions were very good, and the tablet was perfect." —Diana Rattray

6 Easy Steps to Making Quick Scottish Tablet (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

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
See Also
All You Ever Wanted To Know About Scottish Tablet - Graham's Family Dairy
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.

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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FAQs

What is a traditional Scottish Tablet made of? ›

Scottish Tablet is made with milk, butter, condensed milk and A LOT of sugar. It is boiled to a high temperature, before beating the mixture until thickened, and then setting it in a tin until completely cool.

Discover More Details ›

How long does a homemade Scottish Tablet last? ›

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!

Show Me More ›

Is a Tablet just fudge? ›

Some people will try to tell you that tablet is a form of fudge. However, proper tablet aficionados (and we have been doing a lot of sampling) will tell you that there is a clear difference in texture between tablet and fudge. Fudge tends to be softer, while tablet has a grainier and more brittle texture.

Get More Info Here ›

Why is my Scottish Tablet grainy? ›

The best Scottish Tablet should be smooth and melt in your mouth. A grainy texture normally means that your sugar has melted too quickly.

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.

Tell Me More ›

Why did my tablet turn into toffee? ›

Why does the Scottish Tablet I make turn out like toffee? If your temperature is too high for too long you'll create toffee and the higher the temperature you go the harder the toffee will become right the way through to a proper brittle toffee which comes in at about 149 degrees celcius!

Learn More Now ›

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!

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What is the shelf life of Scottish tablets? ›

And with a shelf life of 5 to 8 weeks, you can savour its unique flavour for a good while.

Learn More Now ›

Can you put a Scottish tablet in the fridge to set? ›

Remove the pan from the heat leave to cool for 5 minutes, then beat until set. Pour into the tin and leave to set fully in the fridge for 2 or more hours.

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What flavour is Scottish tablet? ›

Flavour: Scottish tablet has a distinctive caramelized flavour that is sweet and buttery, while Scottish fudge can have a range of flavours depending on the ingredients used.

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What does Scottish tablet taste like compared to fudge? ›

Scottish tablet is higher in sugar, while fudge is higher in fat. Tablet is often flavoured with vanilla or other extracts, providing a delicate aroma that enhances its sweet taste. It's important to note that traditional tablet recipes typically contain dairy products and may not be suitable for vegans.

Get More Info Here ›

Why is it called a Scottish tablet? ›

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.

Keep Reading ›

Can you freeze a Scottish tablet? ›

Storing Scottish Tablet

You can also freeze Scottish Tablet for up to a few months. Thaw completely before eating.