Homemade Chocolate Barfi

Back home, for every festival, my Mom used to make a traditional sweet like Sheera, Kheer, Aamras and my Dad used to get a store bought mithai like this Chocolate Barfi. Double treat for us! It was our tradition. This year I decided to make it at home for Gudi Padwa.

Happy Gudi Padwa / Ugadi everyone!

Ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 396 gm (14 oz)

Milk Powder - 1 1/2 cups

Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 1/2 tbsp

Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods

Saffron/Kesar - few strands

Milk Chocolate Bar - 150 gm

How to make Indian Chocolate Barfi / Burfi:

• Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder.  Grease a flat plate/tray with 1/2 tbsp ghee.
• Add 2 tbsp ghee to a dry microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds so that it melts.
• To the melted ghee, add milk powder and condensed milk. Mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stop the microwave after every minute and mix.
• Now add ground cardamom and saffron and mix again. Microwave again for 1 minute and let the barfi mix cool.
• The cooking time in a microwave may vary. So keep checking and do not let the barfi mix turn too dry.
• If not a microwave, you can cook this barfi mix in a pan on a stove top as well. You might need more ghee and make sure you cook it at low heat to avoid burning.

• While the barfi mix is still hot, add it to the greased plate. Spread it evenly with a spatula. When it cools down, refrigerate it overnight or at least 2 hours.
• Now the chocolate part. You can either use chocolate chips or bar. But chocolate bar tastes far better. I have used 150 gm. You can add more or less to suit your taste.
• You can melt the chocolate in 2 ways, either a microwave or a double boiler method. I prefer the double boiler method. Roughly chop the chocolate bar.
• Heat a saucepan with water and a metal bowl that fits securely over the saucepan. Add chocolate to the top metal bowl and allow it to melt over low, indirect heat. Make sure that the bottom of the chocolate bowl does not touch the water. Stir continuously until chocolate melts and turns shiny.
• Pour the melted chocolate over the barfi mix. Spread it evenly with a spatula and then swirl the plate if required. Refrigerate it for another 30 minutes or so, until melted chocolate hardens.

Cut out squares and serve Chocolate Barfi in cupcake liners.