Diwali {Coconut & Almond Laddu}

by Kiran on October 26, 2011 · 41 comments

in Desserts, Indian

It’s Diwali.

House is cleaned from top to bottom, fresh and new linens are on display, cobwebs are not in sight (hopefully), oil lamps are brought out from storage and new clothes are laid out for the festivities.

We are keeping it low key this year. No parties, just the celebration of traditions between us two. Something that definitely makes us miss our families the most. Reminiscing the celebration of Diwali back home, where women are generally busy cooking feasts of yummy foods and desserts, while the mens chatting away with guests and friends alike. This definitely ticks my mom, but I’ll rant discuss about it some other day 😉

I made this laddu’s yesterday using simple and readily available ingredients. I’ve never made laddu’s before but this turned out to be one of the easiest and delicious laddu’s you can ever make far away from your loved ones. The Husband taste-tested and gave me a seal of approval 🙂

Laddu’s are ball-shaped sweets/desserts in India that is generally made with chickpea flour, semolina or coconut. It’s often feasted upon during marriages, festivals or religious occasions.

Happy Diwali to those celebrating! And for the rest, enjoy the festivities and try this simple and healthy version of laddu’s.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded coconut (fresh is the best)
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 heaping tbsp of ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp spice mix (a mix of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg powder)

Directions:

  1. Heat a non-stick skillet on low and dry roast shredded coconut and almonds until lightly toasted (should take about 3-5 minutes). Stir often to avoid burn.
  2. Heat a separate saucepan on medium-high. Add water and brown sugar. Stir to combine and slowly bubble till mixture thickens a little (around 7-10 minutes).
  3. Mixture should resemble thick and dark caramel like consistency. Lower heat and add toasted coconut and almonds. Stir continuously to combine.
  4. Add ghee, spice mix and vanilla extract. Continue stirring to combine.
  5. Ensuring mixture is nice and sticky at this point, remove from heat to cool for 5 minutes.
  6. Wrap hands with saran or plastic wraps and form ball-shaped laddu’s while the mixture is still warm. Press the mixture between hands to form tight ball-shaped laddu’s.
  7. Cool completely in room temperature. Serve to your Husband for taste test 🙂

 

Where are you celebrating Diwali? And what sweets are you sampling or intend to sample during this Festival of Light’s celebrations?

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Comments on this entry are closed.

1 Christy Gerald October 26, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Wowww!,Luks yumm.Deliciously done.Luv the recipe too.Very warm,Happy and Tasty Diwali wishes to U and Ur family Members.

2 Kiran October 31, 2011 at 11:11 PM

Christy,
Happy Diwali to you and your family. Hope it was a great celebration with family and friends 🙂

3 Seema October 26, 2011 at 11:52 AM

Hi Kiran Happy Diwali to you and your family.Very sweet and delicious recipe.Can we use the normal white sugar in plce of brown sugar?
Which butter?Plain white butter?
Seema recently posted..Happy Diwali! 🙂

4 Kiran October 31, 2011 at 11:25 PM

Seema,
Happy Diwali to you and your family! You can definitely use plain sugar. There is no butter in this recipe, except for 2 tbsp of ghee. You can use any butter if you don’t want to use ghee. Let me know how it tastes 🙂

5 Divya October 26, 2011 at 12:06 PM

Hi Kiran! Happy Diwail to you and your family! May you have a great year ahead.

Beautiful recipe and pictures. I absolutely love coconut laddoos, they are a Diwali staple at my house!

P.S. I liked the last part about serving to the husband for a taste test..haha. I do that same!!
Divya recently posted..Beauty Eats- Pasta with herbed chicken and butternut squash sauce

6 Kiran October 31, 2011 at 11:27 PM

Hi Divya,
Thank you and hope you had a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali with your loved ones 🙂 Tarun is definitely the guinea-pig for all of my recipes!

7 kankana October 26, 2011 at 7:18 PM

BEAUTIFUL ! happy diwali darling and hope you are enjoying a lot. These laddus are looking so lovely and with almond .. amazing! very creative.
kankana recently posted..Mawa Gujiya – A traditional Indian festive sweet

8 Kiran October 31, 2011 at 11:56 PM

Kankana,
Thank you honey. Here’s hoping you had a Happy & Prosperous Diwali with your loved ones 🙂

9 iva | in my kitchen October 26, 2011 at 8:27 PM

hi again Kiran, Happy Diwali! I just realised back home they say Deepavali but overseas, people call it Diwali, do you know why?
And thanks for sharing a heart warming post. I can understand where you’re coming from about the whole celebration alone thing when you’re living abroad. Its the same for us when it comes to Eid/Hari Raya. Definitely miss the spirit of celebration
iva | in my kitchen recently posted..wordless wednesday | trees in our garden

10 Kiran October 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM

Iva,
Thanks honey. There is no difference between Deepavali and Diwali. The pronunciation differentiate where you belong, whether the northern or southern part of India. Cheers, and here’s hoping you and the family had a wonderful and happy Eid 🙂

11 foodwanderings October 26, 2011 at 8:31 PM

Just wanted to drop by and wish you Happy Diwali. The laddus looks fantastic!!

12 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:06 AM

Shulie,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the Diwali wishes honey 🙂

13 Manu October 26, 2011 at 11:58 PM

Bhabhi thanks a lot for these laddu’s on my Bday 🙂
Please post more pictures of festival lightings.

Also back to your blog which is reinforcing the niche for itself each passing week. Won’t be surprised if offers come in for a buyout.

More power to both of you.

Take care

14 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:18 AM

Manu,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY and hope you had a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali 🙂 I would post more photos on Facebook. Blog isn’t that great – just a time pass, yaar 😀 Take care and hope to see you soon! Love, Bhabhi & Bhaiya 🙂

15 Aakash @ Love poems October 27, 2011 at 1:56 AM

The laddu’s are so yummy .. Mouth watering!
Beautiful pictures with a very well explained recipe.
You’ve streamlined it very well.
Wish you and your family a very Happy Diwali 🙂
Aakash @ Love poems recently posted..Quite a Phenomenon

16 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:20 AM

Aakash,
Thanks for the compliments yaar – you truly made my day and reminded me how much blogging has been one of many great things in my life. Hope you had a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali 🙂

17 Nash at Plateful October 27, 2011 at 4:42 AM

Hey Kiran, Happy Diwali to you and your family! Girl, I’ve never tasted coconut but you’ve just tempted me to try this soon 🙂 Loved browsing through your pages looking at your beautiful pictures. Your writing style is impressive–I like it very much 🙂
Nash at Plateful recently posted..Minty Ginger Granny Smith —crisp, sassy and vibrant fall flavors

18 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Nash,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the Diwali wishes and blog compliments – you made my day 😀 This recipe is perfect for anyone tasting coconut for the very first time. Try it and let me know how it tastes 🙂

19 Nami | Just One Cookbook October 27, 2011 at 4:58 AM

I’ve tasted Laddu before and I love it. Happy Diwali Kiran!
Nami | Just One Cookbook recently posted..Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Butter Pasta

20 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Nami,
Thank you so much for the Diwali wishes honey 🙂

21 Faith October 27, 2011 at 11:45 AM

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving that sweet comment! Laddu looks like a healthy and delicious treat. Happy Diwali to you and your family!
Faith recently posted..Concord Grape Juice

22 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Faith,
Welcome to Recipebox and thank you for the Diwali wishes 🙂

23 Angie@Angiesrecipes October 27, 2011 at 2:05 PM

Great photos! Those coconut balls look fabulous!
Angie@Angiesrecipes recently posted..Baked Stuffed Hokkaido Pumpkin

24 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 10:57 AM

Angie,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the compliments 🙂

25 Tanvi@SinfullySpicy October 27, 2011 at 5:43 PM

Happy Diwali Sweetheart..this a two in one recipe for me 🙂 My husband loves coconut & I love almonds..so good that you combined these two! Beautiful pictures..
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy recently posted..Saffron & Mint Chickpea Stew

26 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:39 PM

Tanvi,
Thanks sweetie! I hope you and the hubby had a great Diwali as well 🙂

27 Simply Life October 27, 2011 at 9:16 PM

we were in India a couple years ago during dewali and it was such an incredible sight to see!
Simply Life recently posted..Maple Pecan Granola

28 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:41 PM

Simply Life,
Major props for you and the hubby visiting India, and that too on Diwali! That is so cool 🙂

29 Melanie @ Melanie Cooks October 28, 2011 at 8:13 AM

I love desserts with shredded coconut! These sweet balls look so yummy!
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks recently posted..How To Get Kids To Eat Their School Lunches

30 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:42 PM

Melanie,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the compliments 🙂

31 Sanjeeta kk October 28, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Perfect treat for a grand festival! Love this traditional Indian sweet.
Sanjeeta kk recently posted..Low-Cal Chickpea Flour Fudge with Palm Sugar – A Healthy Festive Treat

32 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 12:43 PM

Sanjeeta,
Thanks dear, and here’s hoping you and the family had a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali!

33 Ashley - Baker by Nature October 29, 2011 at 8:57 AM

This looks amazing! I’ve never heard of Laddu before, but I am all about trying new recipes, and shredded coconut pretty much sold me 🙂

Hope you enjoy your holiday

xx
Ashley – Baker by Nature recently posted..Chocolate Babka

34 Kiran November 1, 2011 at 1:35 PM

Ashley,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the compliments! Please do try this recipe and let me know how it tastes. Hope you had a wonderful Halloween 🙂

35 mycookinghut October 30, 2011 at 10:03 AM

Happy Diwali! A bit late but hope you had a wonderful celebration!
mycookinghut recently posted..get your jelly on – day 30: cheeky start; healthy ending and a bit of fun!

36 Richa@HobbyandMore November 1, 2011 at 1:27 PM

Happy Belated Diwali! those laddus look divine! i made some coconut almond rum balls..:) fusion laddoos.. and then without the rum later for diwali.. butterless and super fun!
Richa@HobbyandMore recently posted..Curries Round up and Mofo highlights! and a November Sneak Peak.

37 Kiran November 3, 2011 at 10:31 AM

Richa,
Thank you for the Diwali wishes – here’s hoping you and the family had a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali!!
I need to scour some RUM to make your recipe. That sounds more delicious in my opinion 😉

38 Yummy Morsel November 7, 2011 at 11:11 AM

Lovely pics. I make something similar without almonds.They are little balls of coconutty goodness!
Yummy Morsel recently posted..Apple Crisp – Warm Fall Dessert

39 Kiran November 7, 2011 at 8:48 PM

TheYummyMorsel,
Welcome to Recipebox and thanks for the compliments 🙂

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