Recipe- Tempting Besan Ladoo

Besan Ladoo is one of the most popular Indian sweets.

Made with gram flour, sugar and ghee, this dessert requires only a handful of ingredients but tastes amazing!Festivals are incomplete without sweets and in India festivals are incomplete without ladoos.

Ladoo, an Indian sweet can be made using various ingredients and is round in shape.

We make ladoos out of so many ingredients, there’s motichoor ladoo, aata ladoo, coconut ladoo, rava ladoo, this ladoo, that ladoo and this list is endless.

Out of all these amazing ladoos, besan ladoo is my absolute favorite.

Ingredients

1 cup besan gram flour, sifted, 125 grams (measured after sifting the flour)
1/4 cup ghee clarified butter, 60 ml, not melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar 65 grams, also known as confectioners sugar, you can add more to taste
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 teaspoons chopped nuts like almonds, cashews optional

Method

* Before you start, sift the besan and then measure it. It should come to 1 cup (125 grams). Keep it aside.

* To a heavy bottom pan, add the ghee and let it melt on low heat.

*Once the ghee melts, add the sifted besan to the pan. Heat should be low at all times.

* Mix the besan and the ghee together, at first it will form a clump. Don't worry and keep stirring, it will start to loosen up a bit. (See pictures above to see how it looks at every stage!)

* Keep stirring continuously on low heat. Besan will continue to loosen up and after around 15 minutes (see picture 6 above), it will turn into a smooth paste like consistency.

* I roasted the besan for around 25 minutes on low heat until it had a nice golden-ish color. Your kitchen will also be filled with a aroma by then.

* Remove pan from heat. If you want, transfer the besan to another container so that it doesn't cook further and doesn't burn.

* I didn't transfer it. So after removing pan from heat, I kept stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until it cooled down a little.

* Then add the cardamom powder and mix and now let the besan cool down for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Do not add sugar to hot besan else the sugar will melt and then you won't be able to bind the ladoos.

* After 15 to 20 minutes, the besan would cool down and be easy to touch. Add in the sugar and nuts/raisins (if using).

* Mix everything together until the sugar and nuts are well combined. You will get a smooth besan dough.

* Now, pinch a small bowl from the dough. Press and roll between your palm to form a round shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.

* You would get 8 to 10 ladoos.

* Store besan ladoo in airtight container and enjoy! You may garnish with nuts or edible silver leaves (chandi ka vark).