Peanut Laddu

Peanut Laddus

Peanut Laddus

Indians make laddus (or ladoos) for every occasion — birth, death, weddings, festivals, you name it!  There are so many types of laddus in India, it’s honestly hard to count them. Some are more common than others, simply because they have the flavors more people enjoy and readily available ingredients. For example, Besan or Boondi Laddus are the most common, and many people refer to them as “the laddu,” so they are sort of default laddus.

I wish people were more specific with their laddu labeling. I’ll have friends ask me if I can give them a laddu recipe, but they don’t know what type of laddu it was that they liked.

Peanut laddus are pretty common in Gujarat, and especially for certain festivals.  Personally, I don’t need an occasion to eat these! They rank high on my list of favorite traditional sweets because they are simple, spicy, and partly because they are really easy to make.

A peanut laddu is also one of those flavors I associate with growing up in India. Every time I eat one it instantly brings back memories of childhood. Here then is a Peanut Laddus recipe, as my mom makes them!

She uses:
2 cups finely ground, unsalted, roasted peanuts (fine enough to come together but still coarse, so it’s not peanut butter!)
3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (not powdered!)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons melted ghee or bit more (just enough to hold them together)

Her method:
1. Grind the peanuts.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls.
4. Roll them with your palms so they are nice & round. Keep the laddus a few inches apart so they don’t stick.
5. Store in an air tight, cool container because of the ghee. Refrigerate if you live in a hot climate or want to keep them for a few days, but I am pretty sure these peanut laddus won’t last long!