Badam Katli - Almond fudge

Here is another recipe that draws on my love for my आजी's (maternal grandma) cooking of traditional Indian sweet treats. This is a variation of the very popular sweet called 'Kaju Katli' - Cashew nut fudge. This sweet is decadent and 'has to be' diamond shaped with a fine layer of edible silver foil on the top face.

I used to really like the silver foil (called 'Varkha') on the sweets till I found out how the foil is made and the 'non-vegetarian' nature of it. Since that day, I have steered clear of silver foil. 
Anyway I digress.

Coming back to the recipe at hand - Badam Katli - Almond Fudge. I have replaced the cashews for almond while still retaining the delicious taste, texture and the shape. A very easy to execute recipe if you have all the ingredients in your pantry. 

So here goes -

Ingredients - 
Almonds* - 1 cup
Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - As per taste
Milk - 3 Tbsp
Ghee - 1Tbsp (and a little more to grease)

Method - 

Grind the Almonds to a fine powder, taking care to ensure that the oil does not begin to separate turning it into a paste.

Heat a thick bottom pan. Keep the flame / Gas on low heat. 

Add the milk, sugar and the cardamom. Mix well and cook till the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has melted, add the almond powder and mix it well.

Cook the mixture with continuous stirring till the mixture starts to come together into a dough like form.

Add 1Tbsp ghee and turn off the heat. Mix the ghee well into the almond mixture. Allow this to cool; enough to be able to handle it with bare hands.

Grease a tray** with the additional ghee and spread the almond mixture evenly to about 0.5 cm thickness. Allow to cool and set - approximately 5 mins. With a sharp knife, cut into desired shapes.

Transfer the cut pieces to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Lasts well for a week; in my household, this is usually gone within two to three days!

Make this recipe to impress your guests especially if they visit you at short notice or just to satisfy your sweet tooth! Enjoy!

Food inspires a lot of emotions and a dear friend, Suranga Date, wrote a dedication to the 'hero' in this recipe - the Almond. You can find it here

Notes - 

* This recipe is even quicker if you have Almond meal or Almond flour on hand.

** Instead of greasing a tray, you may line it with parchment / baking paper.