Tablet

Tablet makes a brilliant gift (at any time of year), especially when times are tough. This recipe makes plenty, but is still made from cheap, store-cupboard ingredients.
 

Step 1

Into a large (preferably heavy bottomed) saucepan, weigh all your ingredients together. Don’t worry about getting every last bit out of the condensed milk tin – you’ve got to leave some to pick at whilst its simmering.

Step 2

Place the saucepan on a medium-high heat and stir. You might find yourself with a bit of a sore arm, but power through – it doesn’t need to be vigorous, but you do need to stir constantly to stop it sticking.

Step 3

Heat the mix until it is just about boiling (stirring all the time, of course) then turn the heat down to medium-low, so that it is barely bubbling between stirs. This is perfect. You want to keep it here for about 10-15 minutes, or until it begins to turn brown. Wee specks will form, but these will dissolve with a bit of extra stirring.

Step 4

Once it has thickened up a bit and reaches your desired colour, remove the pan from the heat. With a whisk (or a spoon) start beating air into your tablet mix. This will cool it rapidly. Be careful here, as it is very hot and sticky and will burn.

Step 5

Once you’ve beaten enough air into the mix so that it is changing from gloopy to stiff, place the mix in a tin that’s been roughly lined with a piece of baking paper. Smoosh the mix out with the back of a spoon and leave it to cool; once it is room temperature, you can slice into squares using a sharp knife.

Top Tip:

For a subtle vanilla hit, add a teaspoon of good vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste at the start. Stay away from ‘vanilla essence’; it’s synthetic, one-dimensional rubbish.

Enjoy!