Every Ramadan Z would break his fast with two dates. So it got me thinking and I said to myself, what if I made something which was even more flavourful? I remember my dadima (grandma) used to make khajoor (date) laddus when I was a kid. I love trying out new twists and creating fusion desserts, so I decided to add my homemade peanut butter and make some ingredient substitutions to dadima's laddu recipe. Z managed to finish half the batch in one night, so his review was A1 :)
My objective here was to create a recipe that is easy to understand and quick to execute. So, in essence it is quite different from dadima’s traditional khajoor laddu recipe. C’mon, during Ramadan, we all need a boost of energy and dates are just perfect, I suppose that’s why it's common to break fasts with dates.
In fact, in my household we snack on dates throughout the year so I now make these beauties all year round. I usually have this with a side of yogurt, yummm I need that now… And truth be told, during this COVID-19 lockdown period, we all need some extra energy and sweetness in our lives… These date peanut butter laddus will surely brighten up your day and satiate your tummies :)
Dadima always used to say “one date a day keeps the doctor away”, and I used make fun of her saying "ooooo so I’m allowed to go on one date everyday once I grow up right?" he he he... All in all, these laddus are super delicious with zero processed sugar and are packed with nutrients, antioxidants and protein.
I used to sell these as truffles coated in chocolate and they used to sell out so fast. I remember once selling 30 boxes of these in a day. Last year I gave these out to family and friends commemorating dadima’s sad passing the year before (I'll do the same this year too). Hey, they are also a great gift item...just wrap it up in a nice box and there you go, your very own date boxes.
I’m telling ya, it couldn’t get more easier than making these delicious treats. Trust me once you make them, you'll keep on making these for life!! Try these please, please, please! You’ll love them.
5-Ingredient Date Peanut Butter Laddu
super healthy, no processed sugar, easy to make and great for snacking/gifting.
Serves: 8 portions | Calories*: 73 kcal
Ingredients:
5 pitted dates
1/4 cup mixed nuts (almonds and cashews)
1/2 tsp rose water
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup mixed nuts for coating (peanuts and cashews)
Instructions:
In a food processor, add the mixed nuts (peanuts and cashews) , process until you have a powder kind of texture a little coarse should be good too and set aside.
Add the dates, mixed nuts (almonds and cashews), rose water and peanut butter to the food processor, pulse it 4-6 times or until you see it’s coming together into a dough like texture.
Scoop the the mixture and place it on top of a parchment paper. Now apply very little ghee (clarified butter) to your palms and roll it into balls/ladoo in between your palms. You should get about 8 laddus.
Roll each date peanut butter laddu in the mixed nut (peanut and cashew). Mix until it's fully coated. Refrigerate them and enjoy. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tips on Variations:
In the date mixture replace rose water with orange blossom water and add desiccated coconut. Coat all the laddus in dark/milk chocolate.They will taste like coconut barfi (fudge).
Add gulkand (rose jam) to the the date mixture and 1 tsp of rose water. Coat them with dark chocolate and roll the laddus in dried rose petals.
*Please note that the nutritional information on this site is only an approximate.