Kaju Katli Recipe No Fail Recipe

I am sharing all the tips and tricks to perfect them! Keep reading.

What Is Kaju Katli?

Kaju katli is one of the most popular Indian sweets (mithai) that is made or bought for the Diwali celebration. Here kaju=cashews and katli=thin slices. Even though the slices are not thick like burfi pieces (fudge), it is also known as kaju barfi or burfi. During the Diwali festival, people do a giveaway a box of kaju katli as a gift to their family, friends and loved ones because it is considered the one of the expensive and royal sweet.  I have not seen a single Diwali festival without receiving and giving a box of kaju katli. Sometimes we get so many boxes that it is too much to consume for our family. My mom would freeze some and then she makes milkshake by adding a couple of them into a glass of milk. Check out other sweets that can be packed into the gift box as a mixed mithai box Kalakand // Walnut burfi // Chocolate burfi // Besan ladoo // Chocolate peda // Boondi ladoo

❤️ You’ll Love This Kaju Katli Recipe

It’s super easy to make and a no-fail recipe. It’s perfect for beginners because there is no thread consistency of sugar syrup required. This kaju katli recipe has the perfect texture – soft, smooth and melt-in-your-mouth kind. Kids and adults both love this dessert. It is the perfect dessert for all kinds of festivals like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, etc.

🧾 Ingredients

Here is the pic of the ingredients used to make kaju katli recipe. You’ll need 3 main ingredients (cashews, sugar and water). Edible silver leaf – varak – It is optional and used for decoration purposes only. – Edible silver leaf (varak) is vegan itself. But the method used to make the silver leaf may or may not vegan-friendly. Do your research first, if you are a strict vegan or vegetarian.– When in doubt, Simply skip the silver foil. It does not add any flavor, it is just for the look and presentation purpose only.– The one I bought it from India, the vendor said its pure vegetarian hence I have used here.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Kaju Katli? (Pics)

Making Cashew Powder:

1. First, remove the required amount of cashews from the fridge and let cashews come to room temperature. It may take 1-2 hours. This is an important step and you cannot skip it.
2. Take that into a food processor and make powder by using the pulse button. Do not over-grind otherwise, it starts to release the oil and becomes wet, pasty. We need dry powder here.  Cooking Kaju Katli Mixture:
3. Take sugar and water in a heavy bottom pan on medium-low heat.
4. Let it just come to a boil (no need to simmer).
5. As soon as it starts boiling add cashew powder.
6. And mix it and cook with stirring constantly.
7. As it gets cooked, it starts to get thick and leaves the sides of the pan. Do not scrap the thin layer that stuck to the pan as it has become chewy now.
8. Keep cooking until it comes together like a dough. Depending on the gas heat and size/shape of the pan, it may take around 8-10 minutes. CHECK: take a small portion, blow it so it is touchable, make a small ball and If it is sticking to the finger it needs more cooking. If not sticking then it is ready. Kneading, Rolling & Cutting:
9. Remove it to a greased plate and let it cool to touch. It should be warm (not cooled completely).
10. Once it is cool to handle, grease your hand with ghee and knead it two-three times.
11. make a smooth dough. DO NOT over-knead it.
12. Now take a big piece of parchment paper. Put the dough ball on it and using your hand start patting and make a thick round patty. So now it will be easier to roll. Cover the dough with another piece of parchment paper and start rolling. The thickness should be ¼ inch to ⅓ inch. Do not roll it too thin. The circle was approx. 10-12 inches in diameter. IMPORTANT NOTE: do the kneading and rolling job while the dough is still warm. If it gets cool, it will start to set and becomes hard to roll.
13. using a knife cut into a diamond shape. Now let it cool completely and set. It may take around 15 minutes.
14. Now apply the silver leaf on kaju katli. This is optional but it looks good and just like the store-bought kind. Working with varak is very tricky, you have to be very careful and do not touch it with your hand.

💭 Tips For Making BEST Kaju Katli

Use the pulse button to grind the cashew nuts. If over-grinded then oil starts to ooze out from nuts and becomes slightly wet, moist. Here we want the powdered cashews. Use the food processor for this purpose. Do not worry about the fine powder. Slightly coarse like semolina is perfectly fine. Do not overcook the kaju katli mixture. Otherwise, the end product will become dry and hard. Knead for few times is the key to get a smooth texture. But be careful not to over-work on the kneading process. Do the kneading and rolling job while the dough is still warm (not cooled). Otherwise, it will be hard to roll properly. I highly recommend using parchment paper for rolling the dough. Alternately you can grease the work surface or large plate – tray (upside down) with ghee generously and roll on it. But sometimes it sticks to it even though it is greased well. So use parchment to make things easy. To make this kaju katli vegan, please use the coconut oil or soften margarine instead of ghee.

🥣 Storage Instructions

At room temperature, it stays good for 8-10 days. If you live in a humid climate then it stays good for 2-3 days only. In the refrigerator, It stays good for a month or so. Keep in mind, as days pass it will starts to dry out gradually. In the freezer, it stays good for up to a month. Arrange kaju katli on a baking tray in a single layer. Keep the freezer till frozen and then store in freeze-safe ziplock bag or container. 

PS Tried this kaju katli recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback!

Gulab jamun Rasgulla Malpua Rabri Rasmalai Besan ladoo