Diwali, "the festival of lights," is one of the most important Hindu holidays. Every year it falls on a different date sometime between October and November because the date is calculated based on the Hindu calendar. Diwali is a celebratory time when people light candles and firecrackers, clean and decorate their homes, buy and wear new clothing, buy and give presents, and enjoy feasts of food. Of course, as with all holidays, eating sweets is a big part of celebrating Diwali! This year I decided to take a traditional Indian sweet and put a spin on it with American fall flavors.
Laddoo is a traditional spherical-shaped Indian sweet. Laddoos are generally made of some combination of flour, ghee (butter), and sugar. Often other ingredients are also added to the mixture, such as spices, raisins, and nuts.
One of my favorite types of laddoo is a Besan Laddoo. Besan is flour made from chickpeas (bonus! these laddoos are gluten-free!) which is easily found in any Indian store or most grocery stores. I have very vivid memories of being a little girl and eating besan laddoos made fresh by my mother and grandmother in the dining room of our house; I have always loved the nutty taste and smooth texture of a besan laddoo. In lieu of traditional Indian spices, however, I decided to update the besan laddoo with a beloved American flavor combination--cinnamon and brown sugar!
One of my favorite types of laddoo is a Besan Laddoo. Besan is flour made from chickpeas (bonus! these laddoos are gluten-free!) which is easily found in any Indian store or most grocery stores. I have very vivid memories of being a little girl and eating besan laddoos made fresh by my mother and grandmother in the dining room of our house; I have always loved the nutty taste and smooth texture of a besan laddoo. In lieu of traditional Indian spices, however, I decided to update the besan laddoo with a beloved American flavor combination--cinnamon and brown sugar!
To begin, you have to roast the besan. Raw chickpea flour has a bitter and chalky taste, whereas roasted chickpea flour is nutty and has a sweet fragrance. Place the flour in a pan with raised sides over medium-low heat. Don't try and roast the besan over anything higher than medium heat because you may burn it on accident; you are better off starting on very low heat and increasing as you see fit!
As you roast the besan, be sure to move it around every so often with a spatula so that it doesn't burn. As the besan roasts it will change to a golden brown color and you will be able to smell the nuttiness. Roasting the besan is the most time-consuming part of this recipe; it took 13 minutes for my besan to start turning golden brown.
After 10 to 15 minutes, the besan should be browning. Keep moving the besan around with the spatula for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to allow it to roast further. Do not increase the heat beyond medium and do not burn the besan.
 |  |
Decrease the heat to low and melt the butter (2 tablespoons if making 4-5 laddoos; 4 tablespoons if making 8-10 laddoos) in the microwave. Add the melted butter to the roasted besan.
 |  |
Quickly combine the besan and butter with the spatula so that the butter is entirely absorbed by the besan.
 |  |
Use the spatula to press down on the besan and butter mixture; move the spatula as though you are spreading the mixture in the pan. The mixture may stick to your spatula--keep a butter knife handy to scrape it off the spatula and back into the pan!
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. While the besan is still warm, add the powdered sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the mixing bowl.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. While the besan is still warm, add the powdered sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the mixing bowl.
 |  |
 |  |
Ensuring the besan/butter mixture isn't too hot, the best way to mix all the ingredients together is by using your hands! As you meld everything together with your fingers you will notice that the mixture holds some shape. If the mix is not sticking together and is too crumbly, melt another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, add it to the mixing bowl, and use your hands to combine it into the mix.
Using your hands, shape the mixture into balls, either the size of a golf ball or slightly smaller. Typically laddoos are bigger than this, but I always find myself only wanting about half of a giant laddoo--so why not just make them smaller from the start??
As you finish each laddoo, place it on plate covered with a sheet of wax paper. The wax paper is not necessary by any means, but it ensures no part of your laddoo will stick to the plate.
Allow the laddoos to cool and harden for 30 minutes. Before they cool, you can add some type of "decoration" if you want; I added a small piece of pecan to each one. Serve them immediately after cooling or store in an air-tight container!
I am a "rookie," so my laddoos were not perfectly round, but man they tasted pretty good! Even my husband liked them and he is not the biggest fan of Indian sweets. So here's to hoping you have a tummy full of laddoos, a prosperous year head, and a Happy Diwali!
I am a "rookie," so my laddoos were not perfectly round, but man they tasted pretty good! Even my husband liked them and he is not the biggest fan of Indian sweets. So here's to hoping you have a tummy full of laddoos, a prosperous year head, and a Happy Diwali!
Print 
PDF Ingredients (for 4-5 laddoos):
| Ingredients (for 8-10 laddoos)
|
Recipe:
- Roast the besan in the pan over medium-low heat. Do not keep the heat above medium or you may burn the besan. Use your spatula to move the besan around every so often to ensure it doesn't burn.
- It will take between 10 to 15 minutes to roast the besan. You will see it change from a chalky yellow to a lightly golden brown color, and you will smell the nutty fragrance it releases. Once it begins browning, move it around consistently with a spatula for another 3 to 4 minutes until it is almost entirely and uniformly brown. Decrease the heat to low.
- Melt the butter (2 tablespoons if making 4 to 5 laddoos; 4 tablespoons if making 8 to 10 laddoos) in the microwave. Add the melted butter to the roasted besan.
- Using your spatula, quickly combine the butter and besan so that all the butter is absorbed by the besan. Continue using your spatula to combine the two; use the spatula to "spread" the mixture around the bottom of the pan. In doing so, the mixture may stick to your spatula--just use a butter knife to get it off and back into the pan.
- Once combined, put the mixture in a mixing bowl. While still warm, add the powdered sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Ensure the besan/butter mixture is not too hot to handle and combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl using your hands.
- The mixture should be holding shape and clumping together. If it is not, melt another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter (depending on if you are making 4/5 or 8/10 laddoos, respectively) in the microwave, add it to the mixing bowl, and combine it with your hands.
- Form small balls using your hands--they should be the size of a golf ball or slightly smaller.
- After forming each ball, set it on a plate to cool for 30 minutes. If you have wax paper, line the plate with wax paper to keep the laddoo from sticking to the plate when cooled.
- Before the laddoos cool entirely, you can "decorate" them by adding a small piece of a nut, like a pecan, to the top of each laddoo.
- After 30 to 45 minutes, serve the ladoos or store them in an air-tight container.
RSS Feed
