“This one brings you good news, my cats and kittens, tigers and tigresses—especially for everyone who loves moon-sugar! And that’s all of us, isn’t it, my lion-hearts, because admit it: nothing makes our tails twitch like a moon-sugar-glazed sweet roll!”
-“Moon-Sugar for Glossy Fur? Yes!” by Rathuni-la Dawnwhisker, The Elder Scrolls Online
Creating edible alchemical ingredients is a special passion of mine, and there is none as iconic as Moon-Sugar. As a longtime fan of Khajiit, bringing this sugary treat to my holiday sweets smorgasbord was a must! When bringing fictional food to life, however, a Provisioner occasionally has to decide between two sometimes conflicting traits: should it taste as described, or look as shown? In the case of Moon-Sugar, creating a sweet treat that resembles a bowl of the ingredient was my primary purpose, with a secondary goal of creating a flavor that would suit an Elder Scrolls theme, while not behaving in the real world the way Moon-Sugar behaves in the video games. The candy we will be making is a hard candy often called “Shattered Glass Candy,” but with the slight change of using a herbal tea for flavoring and coloring.
To start, gather your ingredients. You will need 2 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup strongly brewed herbal tea. I used a Citrus Lavender tea by Teavana, but you can really branch out and pick whichever tea sounds good to you! This tea created a soft yellow color that resembled the images of Moon-Sugar in Skyrim, which was one of the reasons why I picked it. If the color is not important to you, you could even substitute strongly brewed coffee! When steeping my tea I used two tea bags in a little over 1/2 cup of hot water and steeped it until the water had cooled. If you’re using herbal tea you can use this method, but if you decide to use any tea with actual tea leaves, I recommend using an extra tea bag and not steeping for more than five minutes, to avoid excess tannins causing bitter and astringent flavors in the tea.
As you prepare to make the Moon-Sugar, I also recommend wearing shoes and making sure no pets or small children can wander freely in the kitchen. You will be working with molten sugar!
Before beginning with the sugar, line a medium-sized cookie sheet with tinfoil and spray with non-stick spray. If you would like, you could substitute a cookie sheet with a silicone mat instead.
Begin by bringing the sugar, corn syrup, and tea to a boil in a high-walled pot, stirring frequently until the sugar is fully dissolved. Brush down the sides of the pot with warm water to help prevent sugar crystals from forming up the sides.
When the sugar mixture has come to a boil, continue stirring occasionally and insert a high-temperature thermometer. Continue boiling and stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit for a moment until the sugar stops bubbling (there will still be bubbles, but no new ones forming). Stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the sugar syrup carefully into the prepared pan and allow it to cool completely and harden, about an hour.
Using a kitchen mallet or meat tenderizer (or a heavy bottomed pot) shatter the hard candy. I recommend striking it in several places until the pieces are your desired size.
Add all of the candy shards as well as 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and shake until the candies are evenly covered. Store in an airtight container (or the aforementioned baggie). It will keep for several weeks, if it lasts that long!
Moon-Sugar
The holiest of treats in the Khajiiti culture.
Ingredients
-2 Cups Sugar-3/4 Cups Light Corn Syrup
-1/2 Cup Strongly Brewed Herbal Tea
-1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
-1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
Directions
- Gather your ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bring sugar, corn syrup, and tea to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Wipe down the sides of the pot with warm water to avoid sugar crystals forming.
- When sugar mixture reaches a boil, insert a high temperature thermometer. Stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Turn off the heat and allow the sugar mixture to sit until bubbles stop forming. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the sugar mixture carefully and evenly into the prepared cookie sheet. Allow to full cool and set (about one hour).
- Using a kitchen mallet or meat tenderizer, shatter the candy into small pieces.
- Add the candy pieces and powdered sugar to a large baggie and shake until the candy is evenly coated. Candy will keep for about two weeks and can be served immediately.
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