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4.5 from 6 votes

Besan Barfi: Spiced & Nutty Chickpea Fudge

Bring something special to the table with this well-loved recipe.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 24 squares
Calories: 178 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Pakistani

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gram flour/ besan flour/ chickpea flour.
  • 1 cup salted butter melted.
  • ½ cup milk powder.
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder see the note.
  • ¾ cup sugar.
  • ⅓ cup water.
  • ⅓ cup chopped nuts see the note.

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Grease an oblong tray 7”x10” and line with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
  2. Place the gram flour and cardamom powder in a large cooking pan. Cook it at medium-high heat as you keep stirring every now and again to prevent the flour from burning. It takes me about 20 minutes for the gram flour to be nicely roasted with a light golden colour. 
  3. Then turn the heat off and add in the melted butter. Mix well.
  4. Add the milk powder to the besan mixture and stir until all is blended.
  5. Stir in the chopped nut in the mixture.
  6. Make the sugar syrup by heating the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Once it boils, let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the syrup becomes one-thread consistency. It takes me about 6-7 minutes to make the syrup at low heat.
  7. To check this, spoon a little syrup with a wooden spoon and carefully touch the syrup from the spoon with your index finger. Then touch the index finger with your thumb. When you pull the fingers apart there should be a single thread formed. If you want to be precise, you can use a food thermometer when you start boiling the syrup. The one-thread temperature is usually just above 100º C/ 212º F but below 110ºC/ 230ºF.  
  8. Pour the syrup into the besan barfi mixture and quickly stir and mix well. Here, we have to work quickly otherwise the besan won’t be evenly sweet. 
  9. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, spread and press gently using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle and scatter the chopped nuts on top of the barfi. Again, press lightly so the nuts stick nicely.
  10. Leave it to rest for about 10 minutes before you cut the barfi. But don’t leave it too long or it’ll be harder to cut as the barfi becomes firmer.  

Notes

  • Choose the full-fat milk powder, please. I tried semi-skimmed, it didn’t turn out nice. 
  • I always use salted butter as a little salt will enhance the flavour of my sweets. But if you prefer using unsalted butter, you’re more than welcome to swap.
  • If you have cardamom seeds and not the powder, just open 4-5 cardamom pods and take the seeds out. Pound and grind the seeds into powder. It should be more than enough for this recipe. 
  • When it comes to nuts, you can go for any nuts you like. Pistachio, almonds, and cashew are most common. But nuts like pecan, Brazil nuts or walnuts can be the options. So choose according to your taste.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 178kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 23mg (8%) Sodium 86mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 8g (16%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 24squares

Amount Per Serving

Calories 178

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 178kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 86mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 8g 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.