Baked Dates and Nut Ladoo: A No Added Sugar Recipe

Name: Baked Dates and Nut Ladoo: A No Added Sugar Recipe
Prep time: 119 min
Cook time: 90 min
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups seedless dates, soft ones if you can find them; Half a cup of almonds; Half a cup of cashews; Half a cup of walnuts; A handful of pistachios; 1 to 2 teaspoons of ghee, plus a little extra for your palms; Half a teaspoon of ground cardamom; Optional: desiccated coconut for rolling, 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, or extra crushed nuts for coating

Festive kitchens have their own rhythm. Someone is stirring, someone is shaping and someone is sneaking a taste before the plate reaches the table. At Diwali, homemade sweets are a way of sharing joy with the people we love. These baked dates and nut ladoos are one more option for the festive spread, to be side by side with whatever your family already loves to make. They are rich, nutty and lightly spiced with cardamom, and put together with very little fuss. A note on the words 'no added sugar': these ladoos contain no added sugar, because all of the sweetness comes from dates. Dates do contain natural sugars, though, so these are still a sweet treat and not a 'free' food. Nutrition information The figures below are estimates for the recipe as written, without the optional extras. Because these ladoos are made almost entirely of dates and nuts, they are energy dense, so size matters. The sugars shown are natural sugars from the dates and nuts, and none is added.

209 min 20 servings 2170 kcal

2170 kcal

Calories

—

Protein

47 g

Carbs

275 g

Fat

Ingredients

•2 cups seedless dates, soft ones if you can find them
•Half a cup of almonds
•Half a cup of cashews
•Half a cup of walnuts
•A handful of pistachios
•1 to 2 teaspoons of ghee, plus a little extra for your palms
•Half a teaspoon of ground cardamom
•Optional: desiccated coconut for rolling, 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, or extra crushed nuts for coating

Method

1
Heat the oven to 160°C. Spread the dates on one tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and slightly glossy. Spread the almonds, cashews and walnuts on a second tray and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant. Add the pistachios and any seeds for the last few minutes. You can also dry roast the nuts in a pan over low heat, stirring often.
2
Let everything cool completely. Warm dates and nuts are harder to handle, and cooling helps the mixture hold together.
3
Chop or pulse the nuts into small pieces, keeping some texture. Set aside a few spoonfuls of crushed nuts if you plan to roll the ladoos in them.
4
Blend or pound the dates into a soft, thick paste. A food processor works well, and so does a mortar and pestle.
5
In a large bowl, combine the date paste, nuts, ghee and cardamom. Work it together with your hands until evenly mixed and the dough holds when pressed.
6
Lightly grease your palms with ghee. Take a small portion of the mixture and roll it between your palms into a smooth ball.
7
Roll each ladoo in desiccated coconut or crushed nuts, then place on plate to set.

Dates