Dry Fruits and Nuts Ladoos

Holiday parties, if not right here, are just a hop, skip and a jump away!!! I may be a little late in posting this for Diwali but let it not discourage you from making these ladoos. Here’s the deal: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nuts (no pun intended) and dates – figs – raisins paste are roasted in half teaspoon of ghee or coconut oil, formed into ladoos, rolled in a coconut – poppy seeds mixture and that’s it. You are all ready to indulge in these guilt-free ladoos.

You must be wondering how can eating ladoos made in ghee be guilt-free. Let’s talk about ghee for a moment. Including ghee in your diet in moderation helps in the production of healthy hormones, which in turn assists in increasing fat loss and maintaining the blood sugar level. Ghee is often recommended by nutritionists and fitness experts, in place of refined butter or oil. With the abundance of nutritious ingredients that are full of warmth, these ladoos, not just make for an excellent dessert but can also be consumed for breakfast in the cold winter mornings. Not only are they delicious but a tray of these ladoos doubles as a beautiful centerpiece for your dessert table because hello – is there anything else you’d rather look at than these?

The quantity of the ingredients in the recipe below is based on what I had on hand, you basically need one cup of nuts, proportion depends on your preference.

Ingredients
8-10 Dates, pitted
6-7 Dried Figs
2 Tablespoons Raisins
¼ Cup Almonds
¼ Cup Cashews
¼ Cup Pistachios
¼ Cup Walnuts
2 Tablespoons Shredded Coconut, unsweetened
1 Tablespoon White Sesame Seeds, optional
1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds, optional
1/2 Teaspoon Ghee or Coconut Oil
Few Strands of Saffron
¼ Teaspoon Green Cardamon Powder

Process

1. Soak figs and raisins in a bowl of hot water, cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
   Pulse the nuts (cashews, almond, pistachios and walnuts) in a food processor to a coarse mixture. We are not looking for a powder or paste. We are looking for mini bits and pieces. Take the mixture out in a bowl and set aside.
2. In the same blender, add blanched figs and raisins (without the water) and dates and make a paste.
3. Heat ghee in a frying pan and add sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Once the poppy seeds and sesame seeds have started to crackle, add the unsweetened shredded coconut and stir for 30-40 seconds (on low heat).
4. Add the coarse nuts mixture and roast for 3-4 minutes on low heat.
5. Add the dates-figs-raisins paste and stir everything gently.
6. Take the mixture out in a plate and add saffron and/or cardamom powder and mix everything well using a spoon or your hands.
7. Once the mixture is slightly cool and easy to handle, divide it in 12 equal portions and form a ball of each portion.
8. Take a spoon full of poppy seeds and shredded coconut is a plate and roll the ladoos in the mixture. This is totally optional. 
9. Serve them right away or store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. If you can resist eating them right away, they’ll stay in the refrigerator for up to ten days.

Enjoy! 🙂