The onset of cool weather is also a cue for me to stock up on flour and sugar. V and I typically go through one bag of sugar from January through September and then in last part of the year, we go through five times as much! This is because I love to bake cookies and cakes for the holidays. V does not have as much of a sweet tooth as me, but even he succumbs to the sweet treats I make during this season.The festive season starts in fall with Deepavali, the Indian festival of lights. Deepavali is celebrated all over India and the myths associated with the festival differ widely throughout the country. However what is common is that it is all about banishing evil and consuming copious amounts of sugary treats!
I am excited because I got a new toy to kick off this holiday season – a candy thermometer that takes all the guesswork out of making candy! I am very bad at making toffee, brittle, caramel, barfi, and such, because I am not good at knowing what the right time is to switch off the heat. Usually for barfi, I panic and switch off the heat way before it reaches the right stage (i.e. soft-ball stage) and the barfi simply does not set. I know seasoned cooks will pooh-pooh the use of fancy crutches like candy thermometers, but it helped me a lot!
Recipe for Chocolate Coconut Barfi
[Printable Recipe]
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup ghee plus 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup organic chickpea flour / gram flour (known as besan in Hindi, can be found in ethnic Indian grocery stores)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut (you can find frozen grated coconut in ethnic Indian grocery stores)
- 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder (I used Healthworks Raw Certified Organic Cacao Powder that I ordered on Amazon.com)
- 1/2 cup organic whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp powdered cardamom (optional)
- Grease a 9×9 inch pan with ghee and set aside
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp of ghee on low heat
- Add the chickpea flour and roast on low heat for around 5 to 7 minutes stirring constantly so that it does not turn brown
- Add the grated coconut and stir for another 5 to 7 minutes till the nutty smell of coconut fills the room
- Mix in the raw cacao powder
- Bring the milk to room temperature and add to the saucepan
- Add the sugar and mix to dissolve
- Add the ghee. Also, add the powdered cardamom if using
- Set the candy thermometer in the saucepan
- Keep stirring on medium to low heat until the mixture reaches soft-ball stage or around 235-240F on the candy thermometer. This could take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.
- When it reaches soft-ball stage immediately switch off the heat and scoop the mixture in to the greased pan and smooth the surface with a spatula
- After around 30 minutes, use a sharp knife to make incisions to cut the barfi in to squares
- Let it cool completely, then break off the barfi bars and store in an air-tight container
- You can make barfis with ground cashews or ground almonds instead of grated coconut using the same proportions
- Once you have made barfi a few times, you may not need to use the candy thermometer. You can tell just by looking if the mixture has reached the correct stage.
Barfis are great for sharing with friends in holiday gift-boxes. They are also great for enjoying with a hot cup of strong black coffee (or tea) and a meaty book on a rainy day!
