With the Indian festive season well and truly upon us, it's time to talk homemade sweets... again! I've got another fast and easy recipe, this time it's Walnut Fudge/ Barfi that you can make at home this Diwali. These Indian sweets are a delightfully indulgent accompaniment to any sweet box or chai-cuterie board you may serve on Diwali.
This recipe makes about 24 pieces of walnut fudge and will take you no longer than 15 minutes to make - perfect for tight schedules, and busy mamas and papas. It is truly so special for gifting and will be loved by all. It's packed with walnuts and coconut, and binded with my favorite cheat ingredient for Indian sweets - condensed milk! This walnut barfi isn't too sweet so they will go down particularly well with those who don't have so much of a sweet tooth. You can of course, make this sweeter by adding more condensed milk and heating it for longer to get the right consistency.
Walnut Fudge - Indian Sweets
Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 24 sweets
Ingredients
250g walnuts
100g desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon unsweetened cacao powder
200ml sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
unsalted butter for greasing
Method
Start by toasting the nuts in a wide pan, on low heat, stirring constantly for around 7 minutes, until the nuts are crunchy and fragrant.
Once toasted, remove from the heat and place in a wide plate to cool down.
Next, grease a container or dish in which you will set the fudge with unsalted butter, lined with baking paper.
Once the walnuts have completely cooled down, place them in a food processor and pulse into a coarse powder, reserving some whole walnuts for garnish. Be careful not to grind the walnuts too much as it will release oil and you will end up with nut butter.
Place a non stick pan on medium-low heat and add the condensed milk and cacao powder. Mix this until homogenous and it starts to bubble.
Add the desiccated coconut, walnuts and ground cardamom. Stir to combine everything together and cook this until it leaves the sides of the pan and becomes dough like. This should take less than 5 minutes.
Place the fudge into the greased dish and spread out evenly.
Chop the reserved whole walnuts and garnish, pressing down gently with a spatula.
Allow the fudge to rest in the fridge for around 2 hours.
Once cooled, cut into squares or desired shape.
