Shri Repp's Date Burfi (Date and Nut Roll)

Shri Repp's Date Burfi (Date and Nut Roll)

MAKES 20-24
Date Burfi is an Indian date and nut roll that has no added sugars but is naturally sweetened by caramelized dates. It has crunchy nuts like pistachios, slivered almonds, and walnuts, that are toasted in ghee and scented with cardamom. This recipe, created by Shri Repp, is the perfect dessert to share during the Diwali holidays.

Ingredients

  • 15 dates (pitted)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted ghee
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)
  • 1/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios (roughly chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

  1. In a food processor, pulse pitted dates into a coarse paste. 
  2. In a medium pan on medium heat, add ghee along with slivered almonds and walnuts. Toast nuts until they start to brown. Then add salted pistachios to pan until all nuts are golden brown, constantly stirring to prevent burning. Remove nuts from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving ghee behind in pan. 
  3. To the same pan, add blitzed dates and cardamom powder. Mix all ingredients with a flexible plastic spatula until dates soften. Once softened, add browned nuts and fold into date mixture.
  4. Transfer date mixture onto a piece of parchment paper. Allow date mixture to cool enough to touch and roll it with the help of parchment paper into a 6-inch-long log. 
  5. Cover and chill in fridge for 20-30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut ¼ inch discs across log with sawing motions, resulting in approximately 24 discs. Date burfi can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or tightly covered in the freezer for months.

Cook’s Tips

  • Instead of shaping the burfis into discs, you can shape them into balls instead.
  • You can use any combination of nuts for this recipe that you like. Shri has suggested her favorite combo, but fell free to use the nuts that you like most.
  • Ghee adds a rich nuttiness to this dessert. However, you can substitute butter in this recipe. Just keep an eye on the stove temperature, since butter burns much faster than ghee.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 45
  • Fat: 3.0 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.0 mg
  • Sodium: 5.0 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 4.0 g
  • Fiber: 1.0 g
  • Added Sugars: 0 g
  • Sugar: 3.0 g
  • Protein: 1.0 g