Instant dark chocolate and thandai ladoos

 

Isn't instant mithai just the best? These Instant dark chocolate and thandai ladoos are inspired from popular Indian cooler Thandai and makes for an easy festive dessert/mithai which just melts in mouth. 

Diwali is just around the corner and keeping up with the current trend of fusion desserts, these ladoos are a fun twist on traditional coconut ladoos. Speaking of fusion desserts, Paan biscuit pudding cheesecake jar on the blog is also a great fusion dessert and has amazing natural flavor of paan. There's also Mini kesar pista and white chocolate tarts which not only look cute but also taste super delicious.

These laddos are made with desiccated coconut, condensed milk, almond powder and spices like fennel seeds, black pepper powder, cardamom powder and saffron which give these ladoos its distinct thandai flavor which is so so divine! Each ladoo is stuffed with ganache, coated in dark chocolate and then sprinkled with some fennel and sliced almonds to make them even more moreish. 

These ladoos are soft, insanely chocolatey and totally addictive. Dark chocolate and ganache take these ladoos to another level and you just won't stop eating them. They are perfectly sweet with slightly bitter dark chocolate and the flavor of fennel and black pepper really comes through well. 

These come together in like no time and hardly requires any cooking. Prefect as festive dessert for Diwali and great as a gift too. Best part is you can make them 3-4 days ahead of Diwali and store in an air-tight container. 

 dark chocolate and thandai ladoos

Serving: Makes 8-10 ladoos

 

Ingredients

1 cup desiccated coconut

½ cup condensed milk

½ cup whole almonds

1 Tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tsp cardamom powder (eliachi)

1 tsp black pepper powder

½ tsp saffron strands soaked in 1 tsp milk (kesar)

1+1/2 cup semi-fine chopped dark chocolate (Use Morde dark compound)

1 Tbsp Amul fresh cream or any other heavy cream

2 Tsp extra virgin coconut oil/neutral flavored oil

 

 

Method

 

Start by melting chopped chocolate in a clean glass bowl in microwave in intervals of 10 seconds. Stir to melt completely. (You can melt chocolate on a double boiler as well)

 

Next take 1/4^th cup melted chocolate from this bowl and mix with 1 Tbsp Amul fresh cream to make ganache. Refrigerate ganache for 10-15 mins.

 

Next, grind almonds and fennel seeds in a mixer until texture resembles desiccated coconut.

 

Now take a pan/kadhai and lightly sautee dessicated coconut on low heat for 5-7 mins.

 

Then add condensed milk  and cook further for another 5 mins and turn off gas.

 

Now add almond-fennel powder, cardamom powder, black pepper powder and soaked saffron and mix in condensed milk-coconut powder mixture. Mixture will come together and look like a dough.

 

Now take out chocolate ganache from refrigerator and make small balls with it to be hidden inside laddos.

 

Start preparing ladoos- take some mixture and give it shape of a small katori (small bowl) and then add ganache ball in the center and then bring together the sides of ladoo to cover and seal.

 

Repeat the process for all ladoos.

 

Melt the remaining dark chocolate again with coconut oil and then one by one dip all the ladoos and transfer on an oiled plate with the help of a fork. Garnish with fennel seeds and sliced almonds.

 

Refrigerate for 10 mins and then carefully release them from the plate with a spatula.

 

Store in an air-tight container and consume within 3-4 days.

If you try these festive ladoos, don't forget to leave a comment. Do take a picture and tag #fascinatingfoodworld on Instagram.

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Compilation of most amazing Diwali recipes- appetizers, drinks, desserts