Turkish Delights

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to create a batch of these wholesome, gut-loving treats! Filled with summer ingredients, such as fresh watermelon, raspberries and coconut water, these Turkish Delights are even more flavoursome than their traditional counterparts! Sweetened with just a little raw honey and flavoured with rosewater and vanilla, they’re absolutely to die for! Not to mention the fact that they’re filled with grass-fed gelatine, perfect for healing and sealing the gut and making these a nourishing, protein-rich snack. They’re delicious both with and without the chocolate coating and are easily made vegan by replacing the gelatine with agar agar and the honey with pure maple syrup. I used the water from a fresh, young coconut, which always tastes better, but bottled coconut water is also fine. Just ensure it’s pure coconut water with nothing added!

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp. gelatine, grass-fed (or 1 tbsp. agar agar for vegan)

2 cups watermelon, chopped (450g when peeled)

1 cup raspberries, I used thawed frozen ones

1.5 tbsp. rose water 

2 tsp. vanilla essence

 2 tbsp. raw honey or pure maple syrup

 (Optional) 1 block 70% chocolate & rose petals

1.     Line a small-medium container or baking tin with baking paper and set aside (I use a 2.6 litre glass Pyrex dish).

2.     Whisk together the coconut water and gelatine in a small saucepan and set aside to bloom.

3.     Meanwhile, add the watermelon and raspberries to a blender and process until completely broken down and liquified.

4.     Pour mixture into a large bowl through a sieve to remove the pulp and seeds. Then, stir in the rose water, vanilla and honey or maple (if using honey, you may want to heat this slightly with the gelatine in the next step, to dissolve it).

5.     Warm the coconut water and gelatine mixture on the stove over low heat, stir constantly until completely dissolved (you can add honey in this step).

6.     Pour the heated gelatine mixture into the strained watermelon and raspberry mixture and gently whisk until well combined.

7.     Pour the Turkish Delight mix into the lined loaf tin and then place into the fridge to set for 2-3 hours.

8.     Once set, slice the Turkish Delight into squares. If coating in chocolate, (I recommend keeping half choc-free as well, as they’re just as delicious this way), then line a tray with baking paper, then break the chocolate into its squares and gently melt over a double boiler. Remove from the heat.

9.     Place each square of Turkish Delight into the melted chocolate, ensuring it is well coated on each side. Use a fork to remove it from the chocolate and gently drain off any excess before placing it onto the lined tray. You can sprinkle each square with organic dried rose petals before they set, if you please.

10.  Place back into the fridge for half an hour to set completely & then enjoy!