Instant Coconut Ladoos (No Condensed Milk Required)

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! 

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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 Rose flavored Coconut Balls. 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!