Festive Favourite Laddoos

Round and golden brown, glistening and soft that they melt the moment you pop them into your mouth... Such is the magic of simple besan laddoos, a festive favourite at my home since time immemorial! I recall the fragrance of besan roasted in ghee emanating from the kitchen right up to the staircase and I only wanted to run up and get mom to hurry so that I could gorge on them! With minimum ingredients, the round laddoos, shiny as ever and with the right balance of sweetness, texture and flavour  is a perfect way to kick off festivities.

Besan Laddoos are served as one of the main 'prasadams' at home for Diwali and are traditionally packed off if the children are leaving their homes for studying or working. It is an all-time favourite and mom's extra special magic just does the trick.

Here's how you can make the perfect besan laddoos for your loved ones!

BESAN (GRAM FLOUR) LADDOOS 

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cooking Time: 25-30 min (roasting) | Servings: makes around 25 small laddoos

Ingredients:

1. Besan (Gram Flour) - 2 cups (approx 250 gm ) - Ensure it is not very finely ground
2. Ghee - 150 gm
3. Powdered Sugar - (Equivalent to quantity of besan) - Approx 250 gm
4. Cardamom Powder - 1-2 teaspoons

Procedure:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and add besan. Keep roasting it on medium flame till the besan begins to turn slightly golden brown and shiny (with the ghee). This will take about 30 mins on a low-medium flame. 
2. Avoid the mixture sticking to the base of the pan. Also ensure that the raw smell of the besan wears off completely and it emanates the roasted flavour.
3. Let this mixture cool off completely till it is slightly higher than room temperature.
4. Add powdered sugar (clear off the lumps if any before you add it) and knead the mixture of besan and sugar to mix well with your hands.
5. Add cardamom powder and knead it again.
6. Form laddoos of desired size. You may want to garnish the laddoos with a raisin on each of the laddoo.

Notes & Tips:

• The only real flavour to the besan laddoos is derived from the ghee (preferably pure ghee) that it is roasted in. Do not decrease the quantity of the ghee.
• It is important to roast the besan on low-medium flame and keep mixing it to avoid burning. Also ensure that the raw smell and taste of the besan is eliminated completely, else it will render an unpleasant taste to the laddoos
• ALWAYS and A L W A Y S add sugar only when the besan is cooled down naturally to room temperature (or slightly higher). Else the laddoos may end up hard and brittle! The delight of besan laddoos melting in your mouth is magical! 
• Kneading the besan and powdered sugar with your hands rather than a spatula ensures it is evenly mixed and the heat produced by your palms give the mixture some moisture to roll them into perfect laddoos