Christmas gifting Day two – Butterscotch recipe for sweets

It’s Day two of our gift extravaganza! Instead of buying a conventional jar of sweets this Christmas, why not make your own? This butterscotch recipe for sweets is easy to follow and the sweets will go down a treat with family and friends. Wrap each one with love, in festive cellophane and place them in a Kilner jar that you can decorate until your heart is content.

Makes about 500G of sweets

Ingredients

150ml water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
500g golden caster sugar
½ level teaspoon cream of tartar
100g unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Grease and line a square, shallow baking tin with baking paper.

2. Put the water, lemon juice, sugar and cream of tartar in a pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. Raise the heat and bring to the boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove it from the heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

4. Return to the heat and allow to boil, measuring the temperature with a thermometer. When it reaches the soft crack stage, 140°C (284°F), pour into the prepared tin.

5. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then score into squares with a knife and leave to cool completely.

6. When cold, break into pieces. It won’t break into equally formed pieces and how it breaks will depend on how deep the mixture was scored. Wrap in cellophane or waxed paper. Keeps for 4–6 weeks in an airtight tin.

Butterscotch is a luxurious sweet loved by most, particularly at Christmas time, so these sweets make a lovely little stocking filler. They also last for a while, meaning you can make them in advance to prepare for the festive season. Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container, otherwise they can become sticky and difficult to unwrap.