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    Oh My Veggies » Holiday Recipes » Christmas Recipes

    Scottish Tablet Vanilla Fudge Recipe

    Published: Nov 7, 2018 · by Nicole · Updated: Aug 22, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Scottish tablet is an age-old recipe for fudge that's perfect as a holiday gift or a sweet dessert with coffee. With a touch of vanilla bean, this fudge is a delicious treat for any sweet tooth. 

    Scottish tablet is an age-old recipe for fudge

    What is Scottish Tablet?

    Christmas just isn't Christmas in my family without Scottish tablet. What's Scottish tablet I hear you ask?

    No, it's not some strange medication. Scottish tablet is a Scottish confection that has a long history that was first documented in The Household Book of Lady Grisell Baillie in the 18th Century.

    While traditionally it was made with sugar and cream, the modern version uses condensed milk and sugar, which is what my family recipe is based on. It's basically a delicious fudge.

    So, what does it taste like? It's somewhat like a caramel sauce turned into fudge.

    And when it's cooking it smells absolutely divine ... and oh so much like Christmas to me.

    If you want to try your hand at making Scottish tablet, be warned you may get a sore arm from stirring, because it really does need careful supervision to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

    I have fond memories of stirring Scottish tablet as a child, and it almost seemed magical to me back then, watching it slowly turn from a light cream color to a golden caramel.

    Making Homemade Scottish Tablet

    Scottish tablet is an age-old recipe for fudge

    Well you're in for a treat because Scottish tablet isn't too hard to make (apart from the arm workout).

    Start by getting a baking pan ready. This is the pan you'll use to create the shape of the tablet at the end. You can use a non-stick rectangular baking tin, or get creative and use some other shape.

    Just line it with baking paper so it's all ready for the last step.

    Then on the stovetop, put a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.

    Add the sugar, water, vanilla seeds, butter, and condensed milk. Stir them together and bring the mixture to a boil.

    Once at a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, but don't you stop stirring! Stirring is pretty much the most important part of this Scottish tablet.

    Your delicious mixture will start to thicken and become caramel colored. Sure, it will take 20 minutes of stirring to get there, but stay resilient!

    At this point, you can spoon a teaspoon out onto some baking paper and use a knife to spread it. If you can see the grooves from the knife in the mixture, then that's perfect!

    Also do a little taste test. If it's a slightly sugared texture, it's ready to remove from the heat. If it's chewy, you keep on stirring.

    But if it's ready to remove from the heat, move quickly and pour the mixture into the cake pan. Don't delay, or the mixture will set in the cooking pan.

    You can scrape the mixture off the pan to get everything into the cake pan. Then roll the pan so that the mixture spreads evenly across the bottom of the cake pan. Let it cool, and then it is ready to be cut up into little squares for you to share!

    For my version of Scottish tablet, I decided to add vanilla bean to spice things up a little bit.

    Scottish tablet is an age-old recipe for fudge

    When you've made your vanilla Scottish tablet, wrap it up in cellophane and give it as a gift or serve it in tiny squares along with coffee at the end of your Christmas meal, in place of a dessert.

    If you don't like coffee, try it with some mulled apple cider.

    Do you have any family food traditions that define your Christmas season?

    Recipe

    Scottish Tablet Vanilla Fudge Recipe

    Scottish tablet is an age-old recipe for fudge that's perfect as a holiday gift or a sweet dessert with coffee. With a touch of vanilla bean, this fudge is a delicious treat for any sweet tooth. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Dessert
    Keyword: Delicious Everyday, fudge recipe, Scottish tablet, Scottish Tablet Vanilla Fudge Recipe
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 287kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    • 400 ml Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • 1 pound sugar
    • 2 oz butter
    • ¼ cup water
    • seeds of 2 small vanilla beans scraped, or 1 large
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Grease a medium sized non stick rectangular cake tin or line with baking paper.
    • Add the sugar, water, vanilla seeds, butter and the condensed milk to a large non stick pan and turn the heat on medium-high and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to stir. I find using a whisk helps. As the mixture cooks it will start to darken in colour. You want a rich caramel colour and you want the mixture to begin to thicken. As the mixture starts to darken and thicken (around 20 minutes) take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and place onto a plate and leave it a for a few minutes. Use a knife and spread the mixture across the plate. What you want to see is grooves from the knife in the mixture. Also taste it, it should have a slight sugared texture. When it's at this point it's ready to remove from the heat. If the mixture is chewy, it's not there yet, and keep cooking.
    • When the mixture is ready pour it into the prepared cake tin. You will need to do this very quickly because as soon as you remove it from the heat it will start to set. Try to get as much of the mix out of the pot and into the pan by scraping the pot. Roll the pan from side to side to spread the mix evenly in the pan. Set aside to cool. Once the mixture is set cut into small squares.

    Notes

    If you have left the mixture to set for a few hours and it still hasn't set, then it needs further cooking. Don't worry though, you don't need to throw it out and start again, simply place the mixture back into a saucepan, let it melt, and continue cooking. If you notice flecks don't worry, reduce the heat and make sure you stir more. However, if you see black streaks, unfortunately it's burnt.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 76mgPotassium: 123mgSugar: 55gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 0.9mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 0.1mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!

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    Christmas Recipes, Delicious Everyday, Dessert Recipes, Gluten Free Vegetarian Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes DE

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rosa says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I love that! Your Scottish tablets look very tempting. A great gift.Cheers,Rosa

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thank you Rosa 😀

        Reply
    2. Sneh | Cook Republic says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This looks like something my mum used to make when I was little. Loved it, ingredients look very familiar .. I am going to try making this one. Thanks Jen!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Let me know how it goes Sneh, and whether it's similar to what your Mum made. 😀

        Reply
    3. Tina@flourtrader says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      It is time that my sister and I carry on the food traditions. My mom is getting up in years and has lost interest in baking and cooking. I sent my dad's favorite sugar cookies, which he considers are required for the holidays.Your batch of vanilla tablet here does look delicious. Perfect for the holiday dessert plate or to give as gifts. While there are always chocolate things during the holiday I try not to forget about the pleasing taste of vanilla and make sure there is something offered of that flavor. Enjoy the season my friend!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Food traditions are so important I think. It's a shame that some get lost over the years, so I'm trying to make sure I keep what traditions I can from my family. Sadly we don't have all that many, but hopefully one day I will be able to pass those on 😀 I am sure you will be able to do the same too.Merry Christmas Tina.

        Reply
    4. Sanjeeta kk says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Hey...this is wonderful..how many forms and names a single recipe can take across the world..we make cashew and chickpea fudges or Katlis in India the similar way. Yours look lovely.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        It's so interesting isn't it Sanjeeta. That's one of the great things about food, it's so transportable and adaptable.Happy Holidays 😀

        Reply
    5. Debbie says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Yum looks just as good as Nan use to make.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Debbie 😀 Are you making any this year?

        Reply
    6. Emma @ Poires au Chocolat says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Ooh this looks lovely! Traditional family recipes are wonderful, especially at this time of year. We have loads of things we have to make like mincemeat, christmas cake, mince pies, traditional turkey roast etc etc. We added stollen to the list last year too.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Traditional foods are the best as they always seem so comforting. Merry Christmas Emma 😀

        Reply
    7. Delishhh says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Oh i love this stuff! Very nice! Happy Holidays!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Happy Holidays to you too 😀

        Reply
    8. Debbie says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Not this year, my sister kindly gave me some. She used her new thermomix to make it so she didn't have to stir it for 20 minutes!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        What a kind sister you have 😉

        Reply
    9. Nic@diningwithastud says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Love! Stud is Scottish and I had my first taste of tablets years back in Edinburgh Castle's gift shop 🙂 haha! Its so delicious! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 I can make him some to remind him of home!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        I'm told our family recipe has less sugar than the traditional recipes...even so it's still incredibly sweet. Hopefully Stud will enjoy it. :DMerry Christmas to you and Stud 😀

        Reply
    10. Claire @ Claire K Creations says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Food traditions are the best sort of traditions in my opinion. I can't wait to create them when I have kids. I just have to correct you on the 'instead of dessert.' Surely you meant to say have dessert, then serve vanilla tablets with coffee? I would make room for these ever after a full dessert! Seeing everyone posting a little extra Christmas sweet recipe is tiring me out this week. I keep reading a blog then racing to the kitchen to make what I see!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Hahaha yes, that's exactly what I meant Claire, dessert and then tablet 😀 Well, that's how it's done in my family anyway! ;)Merry Christmas 😀

        Reply
    11. Deb says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I am very fond of recipes that are passed along in families. Holiday recipes are compelling, evoking a special time and place of comfort. Tablet sounds delectably sweet and exceptionally delightful! On Christmas morning we must have homemade Cinnamon Rolls. And there are always tons of cookies!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Mmmm I can imagine how wonderful your cinnamon rolls would smell on Christmas morning. Merry Christmas Deb 😀

        Reply
    12. [email protected] says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      It looks lovely and what a great way to remember your Grandmother ......

      Reply
    13. Daisy@Nevertoosweet says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Love the name of this dessert 🙂 Tablet hehe!!! And it seems easy enough for me hahaha YAY!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        You're welcome Daisy. Merry Christmas 😀

        Reply
    14. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Mmm.. so drool-worthy! We make similar tablets during our Hindu festival as well 🙂

      Reply
    15. thelittleloaf says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Our family Christmas involves so many traditions - sausages and lentils on Christmas Eve, panettone, numerous dishes on Christmas day...more than I can list here! We do love a good bit of fudge too....and your tablet looks like just the sort of thing we'd love to indulge in at Christmas.

      Reply
    16. Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I've never made tablet.... looks great! I love family traditions!! Thanks for sharing yours! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Lisa! Merry Christmas to you and your family too.

        Reply
    17. Alexandra says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      5 stars
      The perfect Christmas treat! I look forward to trying your fudge recipe very soon!

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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