Indulge your sweet tooth with these homemade date mithais

Diwali is the time when the sweet-tooth is in overdrive so why not try dates this time as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. So this time, relish your sweet tooth in a healthy and guilt-free way with some homemade date mithais.

Dates are also a popular choice of dessert among those who wish to limit overall sugar intake from their diet so go for some of the delectable homemade recipes shared by team BetterButtter and Salebhai.

* Khajoor and Peanut Laddu (Sugar free)

Recipe by Namita Tiwari, a contributor at BetterButter

Time: 30 Mins; Serving: 10 people

Method: Take peanuts in a thick bottom wok; Roast on low flame till the nuts begin to crackle and the colour changes to golden brown; You can also toast the nuts in your oven; Set temperature to 150 degrees C and set the timer to 10 minutes; Leave the nuts to cool; Wash the dates and chop them into small pieces; Remove the skin of the nuts; Grind the nuts to a fine powder in your grinder; Transfer the dates to the wok. Add ghee. Cook on low flame.

Soon the dates will begin to soften. Mash the dates with the back of the ladle; Add peanut powder. mix well. Turn off the heat; When the mixture is warm enough to handle, mix with your hands and mash to get a mixture with dough like consistency; Make walnut size laddu; Store cold laddu in an airtight container/

* Oatmeal, khajoor and assorted nuts' bars

Recipe by Donna George, contributor at BetterButter

Time: 40 Mins; Serving: 4 people

Ingredients: 1/2 cups rolled oats; 1 packed cup pitted dates; 1/4 cup good quality honey (or agave syrup) ; 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (or almond/ cashew butter); 1 cup raw or toasted mixed nuts (I used almonds, pistachios and pecans)

Methid: Chop the assorted nuts and keep aside; Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (this may take about 1 minute or so); It should form a "dough" like consistency and will roll into a ball; Dry roast or toast the rolled oats in a non-stick pan for a few minutes until the color has change to a light brown; Take care not to burn the oats.Place the oats, chopped nuts and dates in a bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, warm honey and peanut butter over low heat; Stir and pour over the oats mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates till well combined; Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to a dish/ pan lined with aluminium foil/ parchment paper so they lift out easily. Press down until uniformly flattened; Cover with aluminium foil/ parchment paper or plastic wrap, and let it set in the refrigerator or freezer for 25 to 30 minutes to harden; Remove the set bar from the dish and chop into even bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These stay well.

* Khajoor roll (Sugar Free)

* Recipe by Purba Kalita, Co-Founder, SaleBhai

* Time: 30 minutes; Serving: 18-20 pieces

* Ingredients : Dates (de-seeded) - 250g; Cashews (chopped) - ¼ cup; Almonds (chopped) - ¼ cup; Pistachio (chopped) - ¼ cup; Condensed milk or honey - 2 tablespoon, Ghee - 1-2 tablespoon

* Method: Heat a nonstick pan over medium flame; Dry roast chopped nuts for 1-2 minutes till they get a little colour; Turn off the heat and let it cool; Chop the dates and blend in a mixer once; Heat some ghee in a pan over low flame, and add in the dates; Saute for a couple of minutes till it turns into a soft mixture; Add the roasted nuts and mix well; Add condensed milk or honey so everything comes together to form a single lump; Allow the mixture to cool before dividing it into parts and shaping them into small cylindrical rolls.

--IANS

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