We have a rich culinary heritage, and we are unabashed food lovers. Food is a big part of all our celebrations, be it festivals, birthdays, or just a graduation party. Festivals especially are occasions to indulge and the perfect time to enjoy your favourite sweets. Every region of our country has its own sweet speciality that makes the festive season more joyous. Of course, you can enjoy them any time but they take on a special significance during festivals. Here are eight sumptuous Indian sweets that you can make at home this festive season.

Kaju Katli

Nothing could be simpler than a kaju katli. Nothing can be more desirable than that silver-coated diamond. It has four basic ingredients – cashews, sugar, ghee, and cardamom powder. When these four come together they play a symphony of decadence on your taste buds. It is surprisingly easy to make. You will find an astounding number of recipes, some with a unique take on the original. How about making your own kaju katli this Diwali and enjoying its rich taste and smooth texture?

Ingredients

Broken Cashewnuts- 250 gm, Sugar- 125 gm,Water- 100 ml, Ghee- 25 gm, Cardamom Powder- 05 gm, Silver Verk- 2 Nos.

How to make it

1. Blend cashew in mixer to a fine powder, If the cashew releases oil, it will turn into a paste. 2. Sieve the cashew powder making sure there are no lumps and keep aside. 3. In a kadhai make sugar syrup using sugar and water. 4. Add cashew powder in syrup and mix well. Stir continuously until the mixture has combined into a smooth paste 5. Now add ghee and cardamom powder and mix it. 6. continue to cook until the mixture turns smooth paste and starts to separate from the pan slightly. Do not overcook otherwise the katli will become hard. 7.Transfer the mixture on to the greased butter paper. Knead slightly and make a soft dough. Place the cashew dough between butter paper and roll using a rolling pin. 8. Now apply silver verk and cut it in diamond shape.

Mohanthal

Ingredients

Besan (Gram flour)- 300 gm, Ghee- 150 gm, Milk- 100 ml, Sugar- 200 gm, Water- 100 ml, Mawa- 75 gm, Saffron food colour- a pinch, Cardamom Powder- 05 gm, Dry fruits flakes- 20 gm

How to make it

1. Make grainy besan base by adding 50 gm ghee and 50 ml milk in besan, crumble and mix well till becomes moist and grainy texture and keep aside.
2. Now heat remaining ghee in kadhai and add besan. Roast it on low flame by keep stirring continuously till becomes slight golden colour and leaves the sides of kadhai.
3. Now add milk and mix well, besan will get grainy. Take this out in bowl and keep aside. 4. Make sugar syrup in another kadhai by adding water in sugar and heating on slow flame, now add saffron colour to give yellow colour to the Besan mixture.                                               
4. Now add mawa and mix until mawa combines with sugar syrup. 6. Now add roasted besan in syrup and cook till mixture starts to separate the kadhai. 7. Add cardamom powder, mix and transfer the mixture into greased tray, level it properly using spatula. And keep it for rest.                                                                                                       
5. Once the burfi is set garnish it with silver verk, cut it into dices & topped with dry fruit flakes.

Anjeer aur Akhroth ka Halwa

Dried Figs- 200 gm, Walnut kernels- 100 gm, Ghee- 100 gm, Cardamom powder- 05 gm, Mawa- 50 gm, Honey- 100 gm

1. Boil the dried figs in water till figs becomes soft.
2. Drain the excess water and cool it.
3. No mince the figs with honey in mincing machine and keep aside. 4. Add ghee in a kadhai, heat it and add minced figs and cook well till mixture becomes soft.                     5. Add walnut kernels in mixture and cook for further 15 minutes till walnuts gets crisp and golden in colour.                     
4. Now add mawa in dates mixture and mix well, stir continuously for 10 more minutes. 7. Add cardamom powder at the end, mix and serve the sugar free hot halwa on special occasion.

Besan laddoos

Besan laddoos are little flavour bombs that are a Diwali staple. The shiny brown orbs tantalize you with a promise of roasted, sugary goodness with every bite that melts in the mouth. Made with besan (gram flour), ghee, sugar, and cardamom, it is simple to make. The key to a good besan laddoo is a good roasting. It not only takes the taste to the next level but also enhances the laddoo’s texture. You must surely try it this Diwali.

Ingredients

2 cups besan, ½ - ¾ cup ghee, 175 gms bura / castor sugar, cut dry fruits and cardamom powder

How to make it

Start by dry roasting the besan for 12-15 minutes until it changes colour and becomes aromatic. Add the ghee and mix well. Keep stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, changes colour and does not stick to the sides. Once your besan is fully cooked, take it off the flame and add sugar. Mix well and knead to have some of the sugar melt into the mixture. Now add the finely chopped nuts and cardamom powder and give it a good mix. Allow it to cool and roll it into laddoos!

Kalakand

This 2-ingedrient Indian milk cake can be ready in a jiffy. Try it out

Ingredients

300 gms finely grated paneer, 1 tin / 400 gms condensed milk

How to make it

Add condensed milk to a thick bottomed pan and as you heat it, add the paneer in and mix. You can also add a spoonful of sugar if you like it slightly sweeter. Now stir well so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom. When the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan, allow it to set in a plate with butter paper. Once set, cover with silver vark and cut dry fruits.

Malpua

Just like jalebis, malpuas must be served hot. This syrup-soaked pancake is made in many parts of our country. And though each region adds it signature twist to it, they’re all equally delicious. Diwali is the perfect time to make this delectable dessert at home. Flour, milk, and milk solids (khoya) are the basic ingredients you will need. In some places they add coconut to the mix while some versions even have fruits. What is your twist going to be?

Ingredients

1 cup maida, 2 cups milk, 1 tbsp sooji, 1 small banana, cardamom powder, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, ghee / oil for deep fry

Mix the maida, milk and sooji to make a mixture without lumps and set aside for 2 hours. Just before you make, mash the banana well and add it. Heat the ghee in a flat bottomed pan. When hot, pour a bit of the batter to make a round pua and fry both sides.

Heat the sugar and water to make sugar syrup. Add the fried puas to the sugar syrup and allow to soak for a while. Serve hot.

Badam burfi

Ingredients

¾ cup badam, 1 cup hot water, ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup water, 2 tbsp ghee

How to make it

Soak the almonds in hot water for a while and peel the skin. When dry, blend it into a coarse powder. Prepare the sugar syrup with ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup water. Once it has a one string consistency, add the almond powder to it and cook until the mixture leaves the pan. Transfer the dough into a butter paper, allow it to set and then cut it into burfis.

Coconut laddoos

Ingredients

3 cups grated coconut, 1 tin of condensed milk, cardamom powder

How to make it

Mix the coconut and condensed milk to have a slightly wet mix. Microwave this mix for 10-12 mins while stirring every two mins. Once the raw smell of the coconut is gone and the mixture turns slightly dry, set it aside to cool. Make it into laddoos.