Oats Coconut Ladoo

These days I rarely make sweets. Or I must say, both cooking and blogging have taken a back seat in my life. Everything revolves around my playful toddler. Its fun to be a kid again. Schedules and plans no longer work for me. It has turned out good for me. Now, I just go with the flow.

Gudi Padwa is right around the corner. And festivals are a good excuse for some sweet indulgence. How about a healthy Oats dessert!

Ingredients:
Instant Oats - 1 cup
Unsweetened Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup
Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
Pistachios/Pista - about 2 tbsp
Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods
Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp
Whole Milk - 1/4 cup

How to make Oats Coconut Ladoo:

• Crush cardamon seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Set it aside.
• Roughly chop pistachios. You can use any other nuts of your choice or any dry fruits like cherries or cranberries to add some color to the ladoo.
• Heat a heavy bottom pan and dry roast oats for a couple minutes. Make sure the oats are heated well and don't have a raw smell. Set it aside for cooling.
• Next, in the same pan, roast dry coconut at low heat until it turns slightly brown. I used unsweetened coconut powder which is easily available at any Indian grocery store. Let the coconut cool too.

• In a food processor, pulse oats, coconut and light brown sugar to a coarse powder. You can pulse it to a very fine powder as well. Taste for sweetness of this ladoo mix and add more sugar if required. If you like your laddo a little less sweet, start with just 1/2 cup brown sugar.
• You can use regular granulated sugar as well. Jaggery/Gud/Gul is also another healthier option.
• Microwave milk and ghee in a microwave safe bowl for 10 seconds or until milk is heated. Make sure both milk and ghee are mixed well. Adding milk reduces the shelf life, but 1 - 2 tbsp ghee wasn't enough to make laddoo of it. Coconut oil is a great vegan substitute for ghee in this recipe.

• Last is the mixing part. In a mixing bowl, add the powdered oats, coconut, sugar mixture. Also, add pistachios and cardamom. Stir all the ingredients well. 
• Now add milk and ghee, little at a time, until you can make round ladoos of the mixture.Divide the ladoo mixture in 10 parts. Grease your hands with few drops of ghee and roll each one into a round ball between your palms.

Serve Oats Coconut Ladoo in cupcake liners. Refrigeration is better since milk is one of the ingredients.