Aake ke Laddu is the quintessential Indian mithai that our mothers made for us everytime we were leaving home to go to college hostels or work in another city or just to travel. Aate ke laddu or Wheat flour balls are aromatic, delicious to eat and provides an instant spike in energy.

These don’t go bad for weeks, so it’s a perfect snack or dessert when you’re travelling. Aate ke laddus can be easily made at home and can be gifted to friends and family on festivals like Diwali. Aate ke laddu does have a considerable amount of sugar, so if you’re looking for a healthier substitute, go with jaggery powder. Jaggery may affect the texture and colour, but the laddus will definitely still taste amazing.

Serves 5-6 people 

Cooking time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• ³⁄4 cup ghee or clarified butter
• 1 cup of wheat flour or aata
• 1 cup of powdered refined sugar or bura
• 3-4 cardamom or elaichi
• ¹⁄3 cup nuts and dry fruits (almonds and raisins)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. On a skillet, roast wheat flour on low flame. Keep stirring continuously so that the flour does not get brown from the bottom. Roast till you start to see the colour change and the flour starts to smell amazing. Trust me, you can’t miss this delicious aroma.
2. Add ghee and mix well.
3. In a grinder, add regular granulated sugar and cardamom and grind them to form a powder.
4. Add the sugar and cardamom powder to the flour (aata) and ghee mixture.
5. Add chopped dry fruits and nuts of your choice. In this recipe, roasted almonds (badam) and raisins (kishmish) are added.
6. Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool.
7. When it is only a little warm, make round balls of the mixture.