SUGAR-FREE ALMOND COCONUT LADOO 🥥 | EASY FESTIVE SWEET | SHIVANI’S LCHF KITCHEN

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Shivani’s LCHF Kitchen! Festive season is here, and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious homemade sweets? Today, I’m making soft, rich, and flavourful Almond Coconut Ladoos using almonds, coconut, almond milk, and desi ghee. The best part? We’re not adding any refined sugar to this recipe! These ladoos are simple to make, full of nutty flavour, and perfect for enjoying something sweet during the festive season. And now, let’s quickly look at our ingredients. 🥣 INGREDIENTS For this recipe, we need: 70 grams of almonds, approximately half a cup. 100 grams of freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut, approximately one and a half cups. Half a cup of unsweetened almond milk. 3 tablespoons of desi ghee, with a little extra if needed. Cardamom powder for that beautiful festive aroma. And some chopped pistachios for garnish, which are completely optional. That’s all! Simple ingredients, but together they create such a lovely flavour. I’m not adding any sugar or sweetener today, but you can adjust the sweetness according to your preference if you like. Now, let’s get started! 👩‍🍳 STEP 1: PREPARE THE ALMONDS First, soak the almonds overnight. The next day, peel off the skin, drain the water, and blend the almonds into a coarse paste. We don’t want a completely smooth paste. A slightly coarse texture gives the ladoos a lovely nutty bite. Our almond paste is ready, so let’s move on to the cooking. 🍳 STEP 2: COOK THE ALMOND PASTE Place a pan on low heat and add three tablespoons of desi ghee. Once the ghee is warm, add the prepared almond paste. Now, gently stir and cook the almond paste on low heat. Keep stirring so that it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Take your time with this step. Cooking on low heat helps develop that beautiful roasted almond flavour. The mixture will gradually start coming together, and you’ll notice a lovely aroma coming from the pan. And honestly, this is one of my favourite parts of making homemade sweets! 🥥 STEP 3: ADD THE COCONUT Now it’s time to add our grated coconut. Add the coconut to the almond mixture and mix everything really well. Keep stirring on low heat so that the almonds and coconut combine beautifully. If you feel the mixture needs a little more ghee, you can add some extra, a little at a time. We want a rich mixture that holds together nicely without becoming too greasy. Look at that texture! The combination of almonds and coconut smells absolutely wonderful. 🥛 STEP 4: ADD ALMOND MILK Next, slowly add half a cup of unsweetened almond milk. Add it gradually while stirring continuously, making sure everything is well combined. The mixture may look a little loose at first, but don’t worry. Keep cooking it on low heat until the excess moisture evaporates and the mixture becomes thick enough to shape into ladoos. Keep stirring and scrape the sides of the pan whenever needed. This step is important because the mixture should be moist enough to hold together but not too wet. Once it starts coming together and holds its shape when pressed, we know it’s ready. Now, switch off the heat. 🌿 STEP 5: ADD CARDAMOM Add cardamom powder to the warm mixture. Mix it thoroughly so that the flavour spreads evenly throughout. Cardamom adds that classic Indian festive aroma and pairs beautifully with almonds, coconut, and ghee. Let the mixture cool until it’s comfortable to handle. Please don’t try shaping the ladoos while the mixture is piping hot. 👐 STEP 6: SHAPE THE LADOOS Now comes the fun part! Take a small portion of the mixture and gently press it between your palms to form a round ladoo. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture. If the mixture feels slightly crumbly, gently press it together. If it feels too warm, allow it to cool a little longer before shaping. You can make the ladoos small or large, depending on your preference. I personally love making them bite-sized because they look so pretty when served on a festive platter. 💚 STEP 7: GARNISH AND CHILL For the final touch, sprinkle some finely chopped pistachios on top. This step is completely optional, but I love the little pop of colour and crunch they add. Once all the ladoos are ready, refrigerate them until they firm up. And there we go! Our homemade Almond Coconut Ladoos are ready to enjoy. Bye, everyone! ❤️ 📊 APPROXIMATE MACROS Protein: approximately 28–32 g Fat: approximately 140–150 g Total carbohydrates: approximately 45–55 g Fibre: approximately 20–25 g Net carbs: approximately 25–32 g