This shop has been compensated by Dang Foods. All opinions are mine alone. #DangThatsGood
These visually appetizing coconut ladoos make a great festive treat, and they are also wonderful as a gift during the festive season. No condensed milk used!
I have many fond memories from when I was little, of my mom and Nani (maternal grandmother) preparing delicious sweets during Diwali (the Indian festival of Lights). The hustle and bustle in the house during these festive times was really awesome. There used to be a constant aroma of yummy sweets and treats being prepared in the house. Everyone in the family would generally in a happy mood and everything seemed to revolve around food. My dad would come home in the evening eagerly looking forward for something delicious to munch on. Most of our traditional sweet dishes revolved around coconut and jaggery. One of the perks of living in culturally diverse apartment complex at the time was that we got to taste a variety of foods from our neighbors as well. The entire building would be prepping for the festival , and we kids benefited the most, because we got to sample so many sweet dishes to our heart’s content!! One of the most popular (and delicious) sweets was the Ladoo.
As a sweet, the Ladoo is significant to almost every Indian festival. We Indians love our Ladoos and always look for an excuse to eat one. It is a sphere-shaped sweet that is very popular in India. and alongside festivals, is usually distributed on auspicious occasions (like the birth of a baby, weddings etc.). There are many different flavors of Ladoos – but all of them are equally delicious!! While the origin of this delicious sweet is unknown, rumor has it that it is a very old dish – one that was used in ancient times, not as a sweet, but more as a medicine by ancient doctors. Nobody knows exactly when the transition from medicine to sweet occurred, but I’m so glad it did! 🙂 Here’s some fascinating Ladoo trivia: In 2015, the Ladoo was the focus of a project to celebrate the birth of the girl child and promote gender equality (google the Pink Ladoo project).
When Dang Foods first reached out to me to create a recipe using their famous Coconut Chips, I decided to google them .When I researched their products, the first thing that stood out was that the chips had exactly 3 ingredients: coconuts, salt and sugar. No preservatives or additives of any sort. On their website, Dang Foods touts their chips to be non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan and dairy free. As per the nutritional information on the packet, a single serving of 28g has 120 calories, with 10g of sugar, 3g of fiber and 12g of fat. While the numbers I’ve provided are for the ‘Original’ flavor – Dang Foods boasts of other flavors in their line up like Caramel Sea-Salt, Chocolate etc. To taste, the chips are salty-sweet (as you may have guessed from the ingredients) and delightfully crunchy.
Here is a link to a coupon that you can print at home so you can try them for yourself. You can easily find these chips in any Walmart store near you.
Now, I could think of so many ways of using these deliciously crunchy coconut chips from Dang Foods in my kitchen. I thought of adding them to my smoothies as toppings, or using them to create an appetizing savory snack or use them in a sweet dish. In fact, as I was brainstorming for ideas, it was KR who suggested that I try the traditional Coconut Ladoo recipe. So, I decided to do just that. These Ladoos can be served as dessert or as an evening snack. Here is what you need to do to prepare the Coconut Ladoo. Heat ghee in a pan. Once it melts, add coconut powder and roast it for 2 minutes. Then add the milk and mix it together and cook till the milk gets absorbed by the coconut. Then add sugar, Dang Foods Coconut Chips (preferably in small pieces) and chopped pistachios. Keep mixing on a medium flame till all of the sugar and coconut mix and the mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan anymore. Take the pan off of the flame and allow it to cool down for about 10 minutes. Apply ghee on your palm (so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands), scoop up a ball sized amount and shape it into a ball.
Follow the same steps with the remaining mixture. Then roll the balls over some coconut powder and serve. Enjoy them immediately or store them in the refrigerator. These stay good for a week when stored in an airtight container. These coconut Ladoos are soft, chewy, refreshing, moderately sweet and appetizing. You can enjoy this Ladoo as a snack or as a dessert. This recipe is so simple that you will want to keep making these again and again. The best part is that you do not require condensed milk for this recipe! With basic ingredients, you can create this extremely delicious and mouth-watering recipe. Enjoy!
If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg . I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp ghee
- 1 cup coconut powder/freshly grated coconut
- 3/4 cup milk at room temperature
- 1/3 cup fine sugar
- 1/4 cup Dang Foods Coconut Chips
- 1-2 tbsp chopped pistachios
- some coconut powder for coating
- ghee as required to grease palms
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a pan. Once it melts, add the coconut powder and roast for 2 minutes. Then add the milk and mix it together and cook till the milk gets absorbed by the coconut. Then add sugar, small pieces of Dang Foods Coconut Chips and chopped pistachios. Keep mixing on a medium flame till all the sugar is is mixed well with the coconut and the mixture does not stick to the sides of the pan. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down a bit. Apply ghee on your palm and shape the mixture into medium sized balls.
- Follow the same steps with the remaining mixture. Then roll the balls over some coconut powder and serve. Enjoy them immediately or store them in the refrigerator. These stay good for a week when stored in an airtight container.
Notes
I use the hashtag #cookiliciousveg on all social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) so you can get access to what's cooking in my kitchen. To stay updated, you can either subscribe to our newsletter (free gift if you do so!) or follow me on my social media Instagram , Facebook and Twitter! There is even a Pinterest board called Cookilicious Recipes from where you can pin the recipes you love.
Some other coconut based sweet treats that you can prepare are Vegan Sweet Pongal Waffles | Vegan Rice & Coconut Sweet Waffles, Roasted Strawberry Coconut Milkshake, Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Overnight Oats, Coconut Berry Yogurt Cones, 2-Ingredient Coconut Macaroons, Vegan Figs Chocolate Coconut Milkshake, Carrot Coconut Crumble Sundae and Instant Rose flavored Coconut Ladoo. To check out some holiday treats, you can subscribe here and get a free eBook where I compiled the 8 best recipes for entertaining, only for you!
These look so yummy!
This looks delicious!
These look so delicate and delicious! I’ve never tried these before, but now, it’s kind of a must 🙂
I love any kind of coconut dessert and even better that this has pistachios in it.
This is completely new snack to me but it looks amazing!
This is a perfect easy to make snack or treat anyone will love! Great photos btw!
These coconut ladoos look so amazing! I’m not a huge coconut fan, but my husband would LOVE these!
looks like a great recipe!! beautiful pictures too 😍