Besan Ki Barfi | Easy Recipe with 5 simple ingredients

If you read my last post or for that matter any post that I put up around late October/November then you already know my love for the festive season. And most recipes around this time are in keeping with the spirit of festivities. And this Besan Ki Barfi is no exception.

We love Indian desserts as a family. Because they are home made one knows what ingredients have gone in. Our most favourite kind are desserts with chickpea flour  aka besan

My best friend Besan

The nutty taste of roasted chickpea flour goes very well with sugar (white or brown you can take your pick) and its versatility makes it a favourable ingredient in a lot of desserts. Besan laddoos are one of my favourites and they are so easy to whip up. I make them a lot at home and the plan was the same during Ganesh Chaturthi but the Gods had greater plans in mind and I “messed up!” Like I always do in the kitchen, I was multitasking. But multitasking is not always a great idea you see! Because I for some (in the hindsight good) reason forgot that sugar goes into the roasted besan when it has cooled off a tad bit. And hence the sweet fiasco happened!

But boy was it a delicious fiasco! Because the outcome were these decadent melt in your mouth Besan Barfis ! And they vanished in a jiffy too! My boys love these barfis more than the besan laddoos now. I will be making them again for Diwali and I am so excited to share this recipe with you. Hope you like and try it for your festive spread!

Tips to making Besan ki Barfi

1. Good quality ghee preferably pure ghee made with cow’s milk is best for making Indian Mithai. See here how I make ghee at home with store bought grass-fed butter.
2. Roasting besan continuously for around 30 minutes on a low flame . Unless you are very confident and an expert at making Indian mithais , keep the flame low and do not leave the pan unattended until the besan is well roasted. Nutty aroma and change in colour from yellow to a darker muddy yellow is a good indicator
3. Use a good quality thick bottomed pan to avoid burning the besan while roasting
4. Line your pan with greased parchment so you can cut and pull out the barfis easily once they have cooled down
5. When cutting the barfis in desired shape use a sharp knife and keep wiping it off with a wet kitchen towel intermittently for mess free slices
6. These barfis stay well until 10 days at room temperature and even longer in cooler weather. I do not recommend refrigerating them.

Ingredients for making Besan ki Barfi

1. Besan (chickpea flour)- 2 cups
2. Melted ghee- 1.25 cups (one cup+ one-fourth cup) and little extra for greasing the parchment
3. Powdered sugar- 1 cup or as per taste
4. Cardamom powder-1 tsp
5. Coarsely powdered almonds- 1 tbsp
6. Slivered almonds- 3 tbsp for garnish

Method for making Besan ki Barfi

1. Line a cookie sheet or steel plate with parchment and brush some ghee on it and keep aside
2. Sift the besan and keep aside. This breaks lumps and helps with even cooking
3. In a heavy bottomed wide pan melt ghee and then reduce the flame to medium low and add besan
4. Cook on low flame with continuous stirring until the besan and ghee mixture reaches a semi solid stage. The colour of besan also changes to a darker shade of yellow. Do note that the mixture starts to clump together first before it starts to thin out. The entire process takes about 25-30 minutes on a low flame.
5. Add cardamom powder halfway through the above step
6. After approximately 30 minutes when the semi solid stage is reached add powdered sugar and coarsely powdered almonds and mix well
7. Turn off heat and transfer to the prepared greased plate
8. Garnish with slivered almonds and let it come to room temperature . This takes around one hour or so
9. Cut out into desired shape with a sharp knife making sure to wipe the knife in between to make the process mess-free and get clean slices
10. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature and consume within 10 days. It lasted for jus two days at our’s 😉