Sohan-e Qom – Persian Saffron Brittle

YAY. I’m so excited to finally bring you this recipe – it combines two of my favorite things in one: Persian food and CANDY *insert heart eye emoji here*

This recipe for Sohan-e Qom is very special – it’s a unique candy from the city of Qom, just southwest of Tehran. It is a buttery brittle studded with pistachios and flavored heavily with saffron – whose earthy aroma and rich color is unmistakably beautiful. Its texture is just the right amount of crumbly from the butter and satisfyingly crunchy from the nuts. What I’m saying is, Sohan candy is deliciously addictive – the perfect sweet to eat with tea – all you need is a few nibbles but I dare you to resist eating the entire thing 🙂

Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian saffron brittle candy coming from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and utterly addictive with tea.

Before I go on, can I just tell you, I tested this recipe SEVEN times (you’re welcome)! Tweaking and tweaking again – each variation was delicious in its own right but getting it as close to traditional Sohan-e Qom was my main goal. And I think I ended up with a great recipe!

In any case, for all you readers who grew up in a Persian household, you’ll know this amazing candy by it’s distinctive packaging – a circular tin that houses round pieces of what I like to call: crack candy. 😛 The frisbee-shaped brittle then gets gently cracked or hit and shatters into a million delicious pieces. I have so many memories of trying to grab the best piece with the most surface area for those delicious pistachios. 😉

Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian saffron brittle candy coming from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and utterly addictive with tea.

There are actually many types of sohan candy, but by now you know that this Persian saffron brittle is no regular candy… It’s so much more than just regular boiled sugar but it’s hard to describe how the butter, sugar, saffron and nuts come together in this incredibly rich and delicious sweet. You have to just try it to find out.

Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian saffron brittle candy coming from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and utterly addictive with tea.

Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian saffron brittle or toffee candy from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and addictive.

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Sohan-e Qom - Persian Saffron Brittle Candy

 

Author: Ahu Shahrabani

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Persian

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  30 mins

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Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian Saffron Toffee candy coming from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and utterly addictive with tea.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sprouted wheat flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons water
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons corn syrup (either light or dark works fine)
• ½ tsp ground/powdered cardamom
• ½ tsp ground/powdered saffron (dry, not dissolved)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ slivered almonds (optional)
• ½ cup shelled, raw or roasted, unsalted pistachios, crushed

Instructions

1. Very important: get your mise-en-place in place ready before you start cooking. I arrange mine as small bowls of: flours, spices and salt, corn syrup, butter, sugar and finally the crushed pistachios. Also, spread several large sheets of parchment paper on your counter near the stove that you will use to pour the hot sohan mixture on to cool. You could also use a glass or silicone dish.
2. Add the flours and sugar to a non-stick pot and heat over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes (stirring frequently).
3. Add in the water and stir until all the sugars are dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Clip the candy thermometer onto your pot now.
5. Add in the butter and stir until melted.
6. Add in the corn syrup, salt and spices and continue to stir.
7. You want your mixture to get to 260 F, just right about the SOFT CRACK stage of making candy. The hotter you let it get above that, the more the sohan will become like 'hard candy'. Pay very close attention to the temperature because a couple degrees one way or another can make a huge difference in how hard the candy is at the end.
8. Once it hits 260 F, cut the heat, quickly stir in the almonds then carefully (but be fast!) pour the mixture onto the parchment into small circles (with room to spread). You should get about 5-6 sohan circles.
9. Sprinkle the crushed pistachio into the sohan rounds and using the back of a spoon or side of a mug, smush the pistachios into the sohan until it's flattened out.
10. Let cool then enjoy with tea!

Notes

You need a candy thermometer for this recipe - it is critical so you know when your mixture has gotten to the critical soft crack stage. Believe it or not, a few degrees one way or another makes a huge difference in the final texture when cooking with sugar - so make the investment and get a candy thermometer. I have been using this one for several years.

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Sohan-e Qom is a traditional Persian saffron brittle candy coming from the city of Qom, Iran. Buttery, crunchy and scented with saffron, this candy is easy to make and utterly addictive with tea.