Nut Laddoos
15 minutes
to prep
30-45 minutes
to cook
6–8
servings
South Indian
About this Recipe
Region:
South Indian
This is an easy, healthy version of a protein-packed sweet staple that’s typically made during Indian festivals like Navaratri and Deepavali.
Recipe Courtesy of Sumitra N.
Photo by Food Empowerment Project
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 3/4 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup jaggery
Optional, but adds great flavor:
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
- 1-2 drops rose essence/water
Instructions
- Lightly roast cashews and peanuts together in a pan on stovetop (below-medium heat) until they’re golden-brown.
- Remove from the stove and cool the nuts.
- Once cool, add nuts into a high-powered blender/mixie alongside the jaggery as well as cardamom powder and saffron, if incorporating those, and blend for 15-30 seconds at a time until the nuts start releasing oils* and you get a smooth consistency you can roll into balls. *Don’t overblend, otherwise this will turn into nut butter.
- Remove from the blender and roll into bite-sized balls.
- Coat your fingertips with rose essence, if using, to impart rose flavor when rolling into balls.
- A cookie scoop can help achieve the desired spherical shape of these laddoos, too.
- Don’t worry about an occasional tiny nut piece here and there.
- Your nut laddoos are ready. Enjoy!
Tips:
I highly recommend using the cardamom powder, saffron, and rose essence for uniquely Indian flavors you’re sure to enjoy.
Feel free to experiment with other combinations of nuts in roughly the same overall nut proportions – almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios.
