Kaju Katli Truffles

These 5 ingredient, kaju katli truffles are a delightful fusion of two popular desserts - kaju katli (indian cashew fudge) and truffles. You are going to need fine ground cashew flour, ghee, milk powder, rose water, condensed milk, and chocolate (for dipping) to make this easy cashew truffles recipe.

These truffles are pretty quick to make (takes about 20 minutes active time) and are perfect for edible gifting during Diwali, Holi or the holidays.

We love sweets and savories made with kaju, aka the cashew. I go through a lot of cashews during the festive season. Some of my other festive favorites are masala kaju and kaju kishmish ice cream.

Kaju Katli, is a traditional mithai (Indian sweet) made from cashew nuts & sugar. It is one of the most popular sweet in india during festival time.

Truffles, on the other hand, are a sweet confection made from chocolate ganache (a mixture of melted chocolate & heavy cream) and can be stuffed or coated in different ways.

These chocolate dipped kaju katli truffles combine the creamy, nutty goodness of kaju katli with the rich & decadent taste of chocolate truffles. On the inside, they are fudgy with hint of rosewater. They taste very similar to kaju katli,though are milkier and richer.

These are easier and quicker to make than kaju katli. There is no need to prepare sugar syrup or continuously stir the katli mixture. You dont have to knead or roll the cashew dough.

Ingredients

• Raw Cashew Flour - You may grind raw cashews at home and use it. Sieve once to make sure that no large pieces remain. To make things easier, now I purchase fine cashew flour from amazon. It is a little expensive but super convenient. I even use it to make kaju katli.
• Milk Powder - I use Nido brand. Use high fat content milk powder that's suitable to make mithai. It is easily available in indian grocery stores.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - Makes them rich, milky and fudgy!
• Ghee- Adds a rich and nutty aroma
• Rosewater- I like the mild floral hints of rosewater with cashew taste. You could use green cardamom powder, saffron or vanilla too.

Step By Step Instructions

Choose a non stick pan to make this recipe. Both cashew and condensed milk have a tendency to stick and a non stick pan really helps. All the cooking will be on low heat.

1. To grind raw cashews, add dry cashew pieces to a dry grinder jar and grind to a powder. Run the powder through a sieve to make sure no large pieces are there. I use ready to use cashew flour.
2. Add ghee to the pan and place on a low flame(image1).
3. Once ghee melts, add the cashew powder (image 2).
4. Toast cashew flour in ghee for 2 minutes, stirring constantly(image3).
5. Next, add the milk powder and condensed milk along with rose water(image4).
6. Using a soft spatula, mix everything togther. Initially the mixture will look grainy (image5), but in about 3-4 minutes, it will thicken and begin to resemble a smooth & soft dough (image6).
7. Don't dry out, transfer the cashew mixture to a plate and let cool down a bit.
8. When the mixture is feels comfortable to touch, make into small balls (image7). I make 20 g balls. I measure the portions using a food scale for uniformity.
9. Line a baking sheet or a plate with wax or parchment paper.
10. Dip the cashew balls one by one in melted chocolate (image 8) or roll them in dried strawberry powder. You could roll the kaju katli truffles in dessicated coconut if you wish. Tip - Pick the chocolate dipped cashew balls using a fork and tap the fork on the side of the bowl to allow excess melted chocolate to drip. This makes for a uniform coat.
11. Place the kaju katli truffles on the parchment. While the chocolate is still wet, add decorations like cashew pieces or dried rose petals.
12. Place the truffles in the fridge for the chocolate to harden. You can store these truffles for 1 week refrigerated.

Melted Chocolate

I avoid using chocolate chips to prepare melted chocolate. Chocolate chips have stablizers and the chips seizes up way too fast for me.

Choose chocolate wafers or real chocolate bars for best results. You could use dark chocolate, white chocolate or bitter sweet depending on your preference. I use semi sweet chocolate. My preferable brands are Guittard chocolate or Ghirardelli. Both the brands give excellent results.

Melt the chocolate using double boiler or you could melt in the microwave.