Brown Sugar Besan Ladoo

2 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1/2 cup ghee

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

2-3 tbsp almonds, chopped (optional)

Heat a non-stick sauce pan on low heat. Add ghee and heat until it has melted and fragrant. Do not brown ghee.

Add chickpea flour to the ghee. Stir and coat the flour with ghee.

Keep stirring and begin to roast chickpea flour.

After 7-8 minutes, chickpea flour will start to become smooth. Continue stiring.

After 10-15 minutes in total, ghee will release itself and the mixture will become creamy.

After 20-25 minutes in total, the chickpea flour will thicken and turn into a deep golden color.

Take off the flame and stir for 2 minutes.

Cool the roasted chickpea flour completely. Do not put into the refrigerator.

Once the flour has cooled completely add brow sugar. Stir until the chickpea flour and sugar are well combined. It may seem dry, but continue to mix until it comes together.

Add cardamom powder and almonds (optiona). Mix until all the ingredients are combined.

Now using your hands take a small portion and shape it into a round ball. Continue until all the flour mixture has been rolled into ladoos.

Serve fresh or Store in an air tight container for upto 3 weeks.

Notes:

Because we are substituting regular sugar with brown sugar the texture of the ladoos will be a bit grainy. However, the brown sugar also adds a beautiful nutty flavor to the ladoos.

I used coarse besan instead of a smooth besan because that is what my grandma used for making besan ladoos. However, you can also make the ladoos with fine besan. Either will work with the recipe. The coarse besan will give you a more grainy texture.

At any point do not turn the heat to medium or high flame. Be patient and keep stiring to roast the chickpea flour. Do not stop stiring as it could result into burnt flour.

Do not add more ghee while roasting the flour if it looks too dry. Give it some time. It will become creamy as it continues to roast.