Peanut Sesame Besan Coconut Laddoos
August is always a month of transitions (back-to-school season, end-of-summer blues, waiting for autumn to roll around, Taylor Swift getting engaged and announcing her 12th album, etc). Growing up, I remember the end of summer coinciding with the start of Indian festival season. One of my favorite memories of Indian festivals growing up was helping my parents hand-roll hundreds of laddoos to share with friends and family for various festive occasions.
A laddoo is a sweet treat that is as cute as it sounds — a small spherical bite-sized ball usually made with a base of ghee-roasted Indian flours, nuts, and/or seeds. Traditionally, my family would make either sesame and date laddoos, besan (gram flour) and almond laddoos, or peanut and gud (jaggery) laddoos.
This year, I came up with a laddoo that combines the most comforting parts of each of these family favorite laddoos — peanuts, sesame, besan, and ghee — along with some of my all-time favorite flavors in Indian food — coconut and cardamom. Even though each ingredient is familiar in its own way, this laddoo turned out to be a new flavor altogether. The texture is at at once smooth from the earthy, ghee-roasted besan, and a warm crunch from the honey-roasted peanuts, sesame, and coconut. The freshly ground cardamom adds that sweet aromatic touch that keeps you coming back for more!
As I've been sinking into my own case of end-of-summer blues reminiscing on the passage of time, this laddoo felt like a hug from my childhood self — a reminder that food and tradition are intertwined, and how keeping traditional flavor combinations alive can be a way to feel grounded in otherwise transitional times.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white sesame seeds
- 3/4 cup coconut powder
- 1 cup honey-roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup besan (fine gram flour)
- 1/3 cup ghee (or coconut oil, if you want it to be vegan)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 7 cardamom pods, peeled and finely ground using a mortar and pestle
Directions
- In a pan on a low flame, toast the sesame and coconut powder until it is lightly golden-brown and fragrant. This might take around 3-4 minutes, so keep stirring to allow it to toast evenly.
- Stir in the sugar and freshly ground cardamom. After about a minute, transfer the mixture to a plate or bowl* to let it cool.
- Once cool, transfer the sesame and coconut mixture to a blender, and top it off with the honey-roasted peanuts.
- Pulse until the texture is like wet sand**.
- In the same pan as before on a low flame, melt the ghee and stir in the besan. Stir really well and continuously because besan can burn quickly!
- After a while, you'll notice the mixture bubbling, turning fragrant, and taking on a perfect deep golden-brown color.
- Add the sesame, coconut, and peanut mixture to the pan and stir for 30 seconds to reheat the mixture evenly.
- Transfer the mixture to your mixing bowl. Let it cool to touch.
- Take about 2 tsp*** of the mixture in the palm of your dominant hand, and gently squeeze it and roll it around with the help of your other hand until it comes together as a perfect little sphere.
- Let the laddoos cool on any flat surface (baking tray, plates, etc.)****
- Optionally, press in half of a honey-roasted peanut into each laddoo, because it's pretty and also adds a fun little crunch.*****
* Traditionally, my family uses a paraat (a large shallow steel bowl with sloping edges, perfect for mixing together large batches of laddoos). Use a steel or glass dish for this (just don't use plastic) because you'll be transferring high-temperature mixtures to this bowl.
** It shouldn't be a paste, but if you pinch some of it between your fingers, it should stick together, and you should feel some of the natural oils from the peanut, sesame, and coconut. If it's too dry, add in some more ghee, or coconut oil.
*** You can make your laddoos smaller or larger as you wish!
**** Traditionally, my family uses several thalis (large round steel platters with short steep edges) for this step.
***** You might end up flattening the laddoos a bit at this step but I personally think that it looks pretty like this too. If you'd like to keep the laddoos spherical but still want that crunch, you can hide a peanut as a secret surprise in the center as you form the balls.
