Dry fruits and nuts burfi

Hii.. Today we have a very pleasant weather here. Last week we endured the coldest days and nights of this winter. Since the past week ,temperature has soared to +10 degrees C from - 10 degrees. 20 degrees difference in the temperatures and you can easily imagine how different it feels. It's natural as well, at this time  because it is Spring season. Good sunlight from around three days has let the Schneeglöckchen (Galanthus) to bloom. These are the flowers which indicate Spring has started here.

On this lazy Sunday morning, as I sip a cup of tea, gazing the nature from my window, I began thinking what do I cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner - as most of us do. I then remembered that we had to visit a neighbour who had given birth to a baby girl, couple of weeks ago. I had planned to make some sweets, for her. I thought for some time what I could prepare and checked my pantry. The varieties of dry fruits lying in a corner caught my attention. What more nutritive does a new mom need than the richness of dry fruits? So yes, I decided to make some Dry fruits burfi. And this will be the first recipe I will be posting here.

This is a very simple recipe and absolutely sugar free. Sugar free means guilt free indulgence in this exotic burfi. That is because of the Dates we use in this recipe which provides sweetness and also acts as a binder. The beauty of this recipe is, you can add any dry fruits of your choice. The only thing that consumes time here is chopping them. If that's done, you are already halfway through it. So now, let's get into the process.

Ingredients required:

1.	Dates	-	2 cups , cleaned, pitted and chopped
2.	Dried figs	-	1/4 cup, cleaned and chopped
3.	Almonds	-	1/4 cup, chopped
4.	Walnuts	-	1/4 cup, chopped
5.	Hazelnuts	-	1/4 cup, chopped
6.	Cashew nuts	-	1/4 cup, chopped
7.	Pistachios	-	1 tablespoon, slivered
8.	Cranberries	-	2 tablespoons, chopped(optional)
9.	Nutmeg powder	-	1/2 teaspoon
10.	Cardamom powder	-	1/2 teaspoon
11.	Ghee	-	2 tablespoons

      

Yield: 15 to 18 pieces

    Method of preparing dry fruits burfi: 

 1. Heat a non stick pan in medium to low  heat and toss the chopped Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts and Hazelnuts into it. Dry roast for 5- 6 minutes.

2. Add Nutmeg powder and cardamom powder and mix well for a minute. Then transfer the roasted nuts to a plate, to avoid burning.

3. In the same pan, add 1 and half tablespoons of ghee. Once the ghee has melted, throw in the dates, figs and cranberries. Sauté well until they turn soft.

4. Dry roast the pistachios for a minute separately.
5.. At this point, add all the roasted dry fruits and mix well until all the ingredients come together to form a mass. Then switch off the stove.

6. Line a tray with a parchment paper and apply little ghee all over it. This is to avoid the burfis sticking to the paper.
7. Transfer the dates and nuts mixture into the lined tray and spread evenly with the help of a ghee coated spoon or your hands.

8. Now, sprinkle the slivered pistachios on top of the flattened mixture and press them in gently so that they stick.

 9. Refrigerate for an hour and take it out. Make markings in the shape of small squares with a sharp knife. Again refrigerate for an hour. This makes the cutting and taking out the burfis easier.

10. Cut the squares and now the burfis are ready to taste.

You can store the burfi in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks or also in the refrigerator.

Tip:  If you are using hard type of dates, soak the dates for at least 1 hour in half a cup of milk. Rest of the procedure is same.
Note : Adding Cranberries is entirely optional. I love the taste of Cranberries. So I have used it in this recipe.
Well,  this is the first recipe I am posting in my blog. My neighbour was indeed delighted to receive the box of homemade sweets. Please do try this recipe and let me know how it turned out. I will get back to you all with the next simple recipe shortly.

Thank you