Peanut Katli (easy)

Imagine Kaju Katli made with Peanuts, and you end up with Peanut Katli or Peanut Barfi. This smooth and melt-in-the-mouth Indian sweet is made with peanut flour (ground peanuts) and sugar syrup. Make the best Peanut Katli with only 3 ingredients and in under 30 mins. The result is diamond-shaped ambrosia!

Why make Peanut Katli

Peanut Katli is the sister of Kaju Katli. Kaju Katli translates directly as "cashew slice" but we have made it here with peanuts as an alternative to cashew which is just as delicious. The taste is almost marzipan like and the fudgy texture is also fairly similar. Decorate the traditional way with Chandi Varak (edible real silver) or gold foil for a premium sweet.

You may see that katli recipes are also sometimes called barfi or burfi. Strictly speaking, Barfi is a milk-based sweet that has a taste and texture slightly different to katli.

Have a look at our Best Barfi-Peda Recipes for more Indian sweet inspiration.

We love making different Katli varieties:

Kaju Katli - made with just 2 main ingredients - cashew powder and sugar

Badam Gulkand Katli - almond katli with a divine rose petal jam stuffing

Vegan Kesar Badam Katli - almond katli with floral and sweet saffron with the added bonus of being completely VEGAN!

No added Sugar Badam Katli in Instant Pot - suitable for diabetics. An easy method for making Katli: for beginners


I'll admit to you, when I was first learning from my Mum how to make Indian sweets, it seemed like an absolute minefield. You had to get the ingredients and method absolutely right otherwise it would all go wrong.My Mum cooks by the look and feel of the food in front of her and never weighs out her ingredients which is hard to learn until you get a feel for the food yourself.

For those of us who do not have this sixth sense, we can find little cheat methods to still get perfect mithai every time!

The traditional method of making Katli is to make sugar syrup or chasni that forms threads between your fingertips.

In this method, instead of completely making the chasni, we are adding the peanut powder directly to the water and sugar before it becomes a syrup. No more worrying about the consistency of the sugar syrup.

Peanut Katli/Barfi with Peanut Powder 

We have used blanched peanuts to make peanut powder. It was so easy and quick as blanched peanuts are already skinless.

If you can't find blanched peanuts then roast raw peanuts on a very low heat until the skin of the peanuts starts coming off. Make sure that no burn marks appear on the peanuts - we do not want to end up with roasted peanuts here.

Let them cool completely, then remove all the skin. Do this by rubbing the peanuts between your hands or kitchen tea towel.

Then grind in a coffee grinder, sieve to remove any pieces/lumps that are too large, and use it in making these katli.

Ingredients

1. Peanut powder/flour - check how to make peanut powder above

2. Sugar - use white granulated sugar.

3. Saffron threads - This is optional. We do not need a lot of saffron as we do not want to add too much colour to the katlis.

4. Ghee - vegans can use alternatives such as vegetable ghee.

You may add just 2 tsp. milk powder, but remove 2 tsp. peanut flour (makes even softer katli)

Edible silver tin foil or chandi ka varq is optional.

What to do if my Katli cracks or doesn't bind?

1. When you are rolling out the katli, you may find that it cracks and does not stick together, which means the dough is overcooked.  At this point, return the mixture back into the pan and add whole milk tablespoon by tbsp. You will probably only need max 2-3 tablespoon of milk to make the mixture silky again. Take off the heat and roll out again whilst still hot.

2. I have seen tips that suggest seeing if you can make a small smooth round ball which shows that the mixture is ready. It may work for some, but I have found that the tip doesn't always apply. If you wait for the ball to form whilst cooking the mixture, you may find that it has overcooked and will crack by the time it comes to rolling out the katli.

Instead, take the mixture off the heat as soon as you see it begin to leave the sides of the pan. Keep stirring even though it is off the heat as it will continue to cook in its own heat. This gives you enough time to knead the dough before you start rolling it out.

Tips

1. Use a heavy bottom pan otherwise the mixture may burn. A kadai or non-stick pan works best.

2. Give the sugar time to dissolve. Adding the flour too early will result in katli that is grainy and difficult to roll out.

Storing suggestions

Allow to cool completely before storing it in containers and covering with a lid.

Keeping katlis in the fridge will make them go hard. Keep them at room temperature as they will not go off or spoil if they are kept out.

Method

These peanut katlis are made in three easy steps.

The first step is to make sugar water, the second step is to make dough and last step is to roll out the katli.

FIRST MAKE SUGAR WATER

Note that we are not making any threads in this sugar syrup.

In a pan take sugar. (pic 1)

Add water and saffron and just bring it to the first boil on medium heat and let the sugar dissolve. (pic 2)

MAKE A DOUGH

Add peanut flour. (pic 3)

Keep mixing the mixture will get thicker. (pic 4)

Add melted ghee (pic 5)

Turn off the heat when the dough is just about to come together and keep stirring another 2-3 minutes. (pic 6)

ROLL OUT KATLI

Transfer the dough into the plate and knead it. (pic 7)

Place parchment paper on worktop, put the dough. (pic 8)

Lay another paper on top and roll out gently. (pic 9)

Apply silver warq (optional) Cut it into the desired shape. (pic 10)

Let it cool completely, katli will harden once totally cooled.

Enjoy

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