Hawick Balls

Name: Hawick Balls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: 350 g granulated white sugar; 100 g soft light brown sugar; 75 g golden syrup; 120 ml cold water; 40 g Unsalted butter; 0.5 tsp Cream of tartar; 1 tsp culinary peppermint oil; 1 pinch Fine sea salt; 25 g icing sugar

These classic Borders boiled sweets blend rich buttery caramel with a brisk, aromatic peppermint punch. Made to be savoured slowly, they are a historic Scottish treat.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· Scottish Borders and Dumfries

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 12
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 140 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

350 g granulated white sugar — fine crystal
100 g soft light brown sugar — adds traditional colour and caramel depth
75 g golden syrup — prevents crystallisation
120 ml cold water — clean tap water
40 g Unsalted butter — Scottish unsalted butter, cubed
½ tsp Cream of tartar — helps stabilise the syrup
1 tsp culinary peppermint oil — pure food-grade peppermint extract or oil
1 pinch Fine sea salt — balances the sweetness
25 g icing sugar — for dusting the finished sweets

Equipment

•Heavy-based saucepan
•Sugar thermometer
•Baking tray
•Greaseproof paper
•Kitchen scissors
•Silicone spatula

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 140 kcal
fat: 2.8 g
carbs: 33 g
fibre: 0 g
protein: 0 g
calories: 140 kcal

Instructions

1
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and lightly butter the surface.
2
Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, golden syrup, water, butter, and cream of tartar in a heavy-based saucepan.
3
Set the pan over low heat on the hob, stirring gently until all sugar crystals dissolve completely.
4
Stop stirring and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
5
Boil steadily until a sugar thermometer reaches 150°C, the hard-crack stage.
6
Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the peppermint oil and fine salt.
7
Pour the hot caramel onto the prepared baking tray and allow to cool slightly until workable.
8
Turn the edges inward with a silicone spatula as the candy cools to ensure even heat.
9
Roll the warm, pliable candy into long ropes and snip quickly into bite-sized cushions with buttered scissors.
10
Toss the cut sweets lightly in icing sugar to prevent sticking and let them cool completely until hard.

Chef's tips

Use a reliable sugar thermometer to ensure the mixture reaches the exact hard-crack stage of 150°C. Work quickly once the sugar is cool enough to handle, as it hardens rapidly. Wear clean food-safe gloves if you find handling warm sugar sensitive.

Ingredient substitutions

golden syrup → liquid glucose syrup
culinary peppermint oil → strong natural peppermint extract (increase to 1.5 tsp)

Storage

Store the sweets in an airtight glass jar layered with greaseproof paper in a cool, dry place for up to two months.

Reheating

Hawick balls are eaten cold as a hard sweet and must not be reheated.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Stirring the syrup whilst it boils, which causes sugar crystals to form and ruins the smooth texture.
•Letting the poured mixture cool down too much before shaping, making it brittle and impossible to cut.
•Overheating past 154°C, which burns the caramel and overpowers the delicate peppermint flavour.

Serving suggestions

Enjoy as an after-dinner digestif sweet with a cup of strong Scottish black tea.Serve in a vintage glass sweet dish after a hearty Borders meal.Pack into glass jars tied with ribbon as a traditional Scottish homemade gift.