Almond Butter Barfi is combined with the crunch of a biscuit base and a smooth creamy chocolate topping to create the ultimate Indian fusion sweet, Almond Butter Barfi Millionaire Bars. The decadent middle layer is made of a plain white milk powder barfi that has raw almond butter mixed through.
MILLIONAIRES ALMOND BUTTER BARFI BARS
Fusion Indian sweets are some of my favourite sweets to create and then make. My mind is constantly taking inspiration from Western desserts and trends and seeing how these can be incorporated into Indian mithais.
One of our bakery favourites is Millionaires Shortbread. Whether we buy it from our local supermarket or make our Homemade Billionaire's Latte, it's always on the menu!
Normally with sweets, less is more but somehow these three layers of deliciousness are just phenomenal together!
And that is where we got the idea for this recipe - Barfi Bars. Three layers of goodness all stacked up. A bottom biscuit layer, almond barfi and smooth white chocolate on top.
The clue to the richness of this recipe is in the name - Millioannaires! Each layer is an incredibly sweet treat!
We have previously made Vanilla, Caramel and Chocolate Barfi which also has a close resemblance to Millionaire's Shortbread. The difference here is that all layers are pure milk powder barfi alone.
ABOUT ALMOND BUTTER BARFI
Let's start by talking about the star of the show - the middle barfi layer
We have used our original Plain White Milk Powder Barfi recipe and added a spoon of raw almond butter to it.
Barfi itself is an irresistible Indian sweet that is served during Diwali, Holi, Navratri or Raksha Bandhan.
This super easy milk powder barfi will be ready in minutes. It is an instant mithai made from milk powder, raw almond butter and blanched almond powder. You will only need a few other ingredients.
The result is a light brown barfi that has a mild nutty flavour.
The barfi is slightly crumbly but smooth enough to compliment the crunchy digestive biscuit base and velvet white chocolate ganache.
Homemade Almond Butter is so satisfying to make and even more satisfying to eat. Almond Butter has a silky consistency and a slightly deeper flavour than peanut butter.
A little while ago, we made Peanut Chocolate Barfi which has two delicious Barfi layers of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Barfi.
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND BUTTER BARFI BARS
The next few paragraphs go through the steps to prepare each individual layer. Think of it a little like preparing a cheesecake!
Firstly, we need to prepare our homemade Almond Butter. We have used raw almonds but you can also use blanched almonds.
You will need:
Raw Almonds - use good quality almonds that are in date and do not smell rancid. The better the quality, the tastier the almond butter.
Optional: coconut oil - coconut oil is optional when making almond butter. To help the process, adding a spoon of melted coconut oil will help you get smooth almond butter
A blender
How to make Homemade Almond Butter in your food processor or blender
We have used our incredible Magimix 4200XL to achieve the smoothest almond butter and ground blanched almond flour.
Place the raw almonds in the maxi bowl and blend on the highest setting.
It took us approx 4-5 minutes to achieve butter consistency.
Next, we need to make our ground almonds.
We have used blanched almonds so that the colour stays creamy.
How to blanch almonds?
Blanch raw almonds by adding a cup full of raw almonds in boiling water. Do not cook for more than 1 minute.
Remove and rinse under the running cold water, so they stop cooking further.
Lay all the almonds on a clean kitchen towel, pat dry then remove the skin.
Air dry for 10-12 hours.
Add to the mini bowl and grind until you get a coarse powder.
HOW TO MAKE DIGESTIVE BISCUIT BASE
We want a delicious crunchy base for these bars.
You will need:
Biscuits - we have used digestive biscuits. You can use graham crackers or Parle G.
Ground Almonds - we used ground blanched almonds.
Butter - we have used melted unsalted butter
Grind the biscuits until you achieve crumbs. Add a few spoons of ground almond. Spoon in melted butter until the mixture starts to stick together.
Pat the mixture down firmly into your tray of choice. Use the bottom of a flat glass to get an even layer.
Bake the base for 10 mins at 180 deg C
Once it cools, place it in the fridge.
Now move on making the Barfi!
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND BUTTER BARFI
For the ingredients for this Barfi, we have used the same ingredients found in our White Barfi recipe. The only change we made in this recipe is that we have added almond butter to it and have skipped chopped nuts.
Mix milk powder, ghee and milk in a bowl. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes.
In a pan take milk and sugar. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on low heat until it gets thicker like condensed milk.
Whilst you are preparing chasni (milk sugar syrup), dry roast the milk powder for a couple of minutes.
Once the milk chashni has done, add milk powder mixture, and bring the mixture together.
In a few minutes, the mixture will come together, then add almond butter.
Mix well, once the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, turn off the heat.
Pour the barfi mixture/dough onto the biscuit base. Smooth out, press and leave to cool and set for 2-3 hours on a kitchen worktop.
Next, prepare the chocolate topping
HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
To make a silky smooth White Chocolate Ganache you only need two easy to find ingredients.
fresh double cream (or heavy cream)
white cooking chocolate
White cooking chocolate will melt easily so it is worth finding it in the home baking aisle of your supermarket.
Chop the white chocolate before adding to the bain-marie - it will meltdown so much faster.
Make a bain-marie by heating water in a saucepan. Place a shatterproof bowl over the saucepan so that the sides fit snuggly but does not sit all the way in the saucepan. Ensure the bowl is not touching the water.
The beauty of this ganache in this ratio is that the chocolate will be soft enough to cut through but will still set. At this consistency, there is no "snap" or "crunch" of the chocolate. This ensures that the chocolate will stick on the barfi without lifting off.
Mix chocolate and cream, and melt in a bowl. Once done, mix well and let this mixture cool a bit or once it is cold enough to touch with your finger. It may take between 10-30 minutes to cool.
If you pour hot chocolate ganache, it might that the barfi texture can change ....so I advise you to wait.
Mix well again.
Spoon the ganache onto the barfi layer and again allow to set. After an hour garnish the bars with fresh edible flowers or nuts if you wish.
If you like, you can place these bars in the fridge to set the ganache completely before slicing and serving these elegant-looking Almond Butter Milk Powder Barfi Bars!!
TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST MILK BARFI RECIPE
Although this milk barfi recipe is so easy, quick and effort-free there are a couple of tips you must follow to achieve the best results as all Indian sweets or mithai comes with some key points.
Whilst cooking the barfi mixture, always cook on low to medium heat/flame. Do not cook high heat.
Keep stirring the barfi mixture all the time to avoid burning it.
Always add sugar first into the milk to make barfi.
Once the mixture starts coming together and leaves the sides of the pan, turn off the heat and take a small amount and make a ball, if it doesn't stick to your fingers and is easy to roll, the mixture is cooked properly.
If not cook a further a minute or so.
PRO TIPS FOR MILK POWDER BARFI BARS
1. Do not skip any steps to look for shortcuts for this recipe, it does take time.
2. I would recommend baking the biscuit layer as it tastes so good.
3. Make sure each layer is cooled enough before you add another layer. I know it is time-consuming but you don't want a ruined dessert.
4. Don't let the barfi layer go very cold before you layer on top of the biscuit layer, it may not stick to the biscuit layer.
5. If the ganache is not set properly, dip the knife in hot water, then cut bars.
FAQ
Can I make a no-bake biscuit base?
We did bake the biscuit layer, however, it is optional. If you wish to make a No-Bake recipe, you can allow sitting the biscuit layer in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes too.
Which milk powder is best for making Indian sweets or mithais?
We always use full fat or full cream milk powder that is specially designed for making Indian sweets such as Gulabjamun, Barfi and Peda. It is available in Indian stores.
In the UK we have British Indian brands such as Natco, Fudco, TRS and VB & Sons. In British supermarkets, they have their own brand as well as Nido too.
Our readers in USA can check out these brands - Laxmi, Veer, Deep etc. In canada many brands available but my friends like to use Nido brand milk powder.
Can I use low fat or skimmed milk powder for Indian sweets?
If you ask me, my answer is NO, if you want to enjoy rich and creamy Indian sweets use full-fat milk powder. However, if any health reason if you are avoiding, please go ahead and use it.
Can I make a barfi recipe without milk powder?
Yes, definitely you can. Use Khoya/Mawa instead of milk powder, however for this particular recipe I recommend full-fat milk powder.
Can I leave out the biscuit layer?
If you want to enjoy a fusion recipe, don't skip the biscuit layer. It tastes so good. If you leave it then it will end up having a chocolate layered barfi.
What other chocolate can I use for chocolate ganache?
I have used white chocolate barfi as one of our family members can not have milk or dark chocolate. So, yes you can use milk, dark or even ruby chocolate for the chocolate ganache layer.
What is the Storage instruction (shelf life) for these bars?
These milk powder barfi bars can stay fresh for up to 8-10 days in the refrigerator. Once sliced, lay parchment paper in an airtight container, carefully arrange them and keep it away from strong food.
Bring it to room temperature before consuming.
These bars are so good as a make-ahead dessert, as they stay so fresh for up to 10 days. To make each and every layer you do need a lot of time, you can take the time or make it in two days (put it better words)
RECIPE VARIATION
Kaju, Badam or Peanut Katli Bars - you can make Kaju/badam katli mixture/dough and layer it on top of the biscuit layer instead of the barfi layer. Get the recipe for Kaju Katli
Peda Bars/Squares - This Salted Caramel Peda can be used and layered on top of the biscuit layer.
Triple Chocolate Barfi Bars - Instead of digestive biscuits use oreo or any other chocolate cookies for the biscuit layer. For barfi layers, add cocoa powder in the mixture instead of almond butter for the barfi layer and use milk or dark chocolate for the ganache.
Any other butter barfi - Make use of other butter such as peanut, cashew, or pistachio for barfi layers.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE
...you might also like our other Indian fusion sweets
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📖 Recipe
ALMOND BUTTER BARFI BARS | MILK POWDER BARFI BARS
Almond Butter Barfi is combined with the crunch of a biscuit base and a smooth creamy chocolate topping to create the ultimate Indian fusion sweet, Almond Butter Barfi Millionnaire Bars. The decadent middle layer is made of a plain white milk powder barfi that has raw almond butter mixed through.
Ingredients
- 16 digestive biscuits
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoon ground almond
- 2 cup full-fat milk powder
- 1 cup whole milk + 3 tablespoon
- 3 teaspoon melted ghee
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 tablespoon ground almond
- Pinch cardamom powder
- 300 grams white cooking chocolate
- ⅔ cup double/heavy cream
- Silver edible foil /varq
- Fresh edible flower petals
Instructions
- First, prepare the cake tin. Spray and lined an 8x7 inches cake tin with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F or gas mark 4.
- Crush the biscuits in a food processor to form into crumbs.
- In a mixing bowl, mix biscuits, ground almonds, and melted butter.
- Combine well then transferred in the lined cake tin.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes, remove and let it cool at room temperature then keep it in the refrigerator until you need it.
- In a bowl or plate take milk powder, add ghee and milk.
- Mix with your fingertips or spoon and let it rest for a while. This step will create danedar or flaky barfi.
- In a kadai or nonstick pan, mix milk and sugar.
- Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on low heat till it goes thicker like condensed milk.
- While you are making milk chashni, dry roast milk powder in another pan for a couple of minutes.
- Add roasted milk powder, and mix.
- Keep the heat low and cook the mixture, keep stirring all the time.
- Once the mixture starts coming together add almond butter and ground almonds.
- Further, cook for a couple of minutes, add cardamom powder.
- When the barfi mixture starts leaving the edge of the pan, turn off the heat.
- Remove pan from the heat, pour all the mixture on top of the biscuit base.
- Smooth out the barfi layer using a spatula. Leave it aside to set on your kitchen worktop for at least 2-3 hours. The longer the better.
- Chop the white chocolate before adding to the bain-marie - it will meltdown so much faster.
- Make a bain-marie by heating water in a saucepan. Place a shatterproof bowl over the saucepan so that the sides fit snuggly but does not sit all the way in the saucepan. Ensure the bowl is not touching the water.
- Stir the mixture and allow chocolate to melt completely with cream and come to pouring consistency.
- Remove the bowl, leave it to cool just enough so you can touch it with your fingers.
- Mix once again.
- Then pour on set and cooled barfi layer, and let it set in a cool place or refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Cut into barfi bars using a very sharp knife.
- Garnish with silver edible foil, fresh flowers, or slivered nuts.
Video
Notes
Parle G or graham crackers can be used instead of digestive biscuits.
Don't want to use nut butter or flour? use milk powder instead.
If possible use cooking white chocolate.
Keep stirring barfi mixture all the time to prevent burning.
Make sure each layer of bars is cooled before you add another layer.
We have made our almond flour and butter in food processor, you can use store-bought if pressed for time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Enriqueta E. Lemoine says
What a beautiful and appealing dessert. I just pinned to have it handy. Your pictures are so beautiful. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration.
Kayla says
These almond butter bars were so delicious and so full of flavor! Our whole family loved them!
jcookingodyssey says
So happy to hear this Kayla 🙂
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Whst a truly lovely recipe! These are absolutely beautiful! I'm loving the layers! I cannot wait to make these for the holidays!
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks you Lori, hope you guys like it too.
dishnthekitchen says
What a cool fusion dessert! The layers are so perfect and those flavours just meant to be together. Great with a cuppa tea!
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you 🙂
Lauren Vavala says
I've never had anything like these almond bars before, but they are gorgeous and sound really delicious! I love how pretty they look decorate too - would be perfect for parties!
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Lauren, yes these are also grest as edible gifts too.
Amanda Dixon says
These bars were such decadent little treats! I just loved the texture of the biscuit with the creamy topping, and they were so fun to make. Highly recommend!
jcookingodyssey says
So happy you guys enjoyed this treat.
Avin says
Firstly the layers are all perfect and looks so delish. The toasting of biscuit layer was a good idea. Making them on Diwali this year!
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Avin
Hema's Musings says
Heavenly,first when saw the picture I thought its chocolate bar, these almond butter bar looks absolutely amazing will try to make it by following your recipe
jcookingodyssey says
Let us know how you like this recipe.
Motions and Emotions says
These almond butter barfis are treat to eyes. I love the concept of making fusion sweets. Lovely edible gifts no doubt
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you!
lavina singh says
Receipe seems very dilicious love to see more.
jcookingodyssey says
Glad you like this recipe.
Lata Lala says
These triple layer barfi bars look so tempting. The fusion to create this mithai is so wonderful with each layer looking so beautiful and set perfectly.
Thanks for sharing the amazing out of the box recipe.
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Lata, we love to create fusion desserts.
Mayuri Patel says
Hayley, that is such a pretty, tempting, and mouthwatering almond butter barfi bars. So festive and a wonderful treat for the upcoming festivals. Like the use of white chocolate for the topping.
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Mayuri! I am sure everyone is going to love this barfi bars.
mildly indian says
These are going to be the best recieved edible gifts during Diwali. The look stunning and I am sure taste amazing.
jcookingodyssey says
They were phenomenal MI. Thank you!
Neha Pahilwani says
This is indeed a very enticing fusion milk powder barfi bar. The almond burfi layer is explained meticulously. Great detailed tips. Great recipe and I will try my hand at it or include some elements of this recipe to the other desserts.