Turkish Delight Cupcakes

This time I decided to make Middle Eastern inspired cupcakes using Turkish delight, pistachios and rosewater. Turkish delight or "lokum" is a sweet candy made from starch and sugar. The texture is soft, sticky, chewy and flavoured with rosewater or lemon. It's been around as early as the Ottoman Empire and was originally a dish made and served only for the sultan and the royal family.

Ingredients
60g white eating chocolate, chopped roughly

2 tablespoons rosewater

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped roughly

90g butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoons plain flour

Decorations

900g Turkish delight, chopped into quarters

a handful of pistachios

300g white eating chocolate, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin pan with paper cases.

Stir chocolate, rosewater and the water in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. 

Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until combined. Stir in sifted flours, chopped pistachios and warm chocolate mixture. Divide among the cases.

Bake for about 35 minutes. Place in wire rack to cool.
Decorate cupcake with pieces of Turkish delight and chopped pistachio nuts dipped in chocolate.

         A hoarder's delight! haha