Atta Pinni are a winter staple in northern India and made with lots of ghee and nuts! These ladoos make a perfect snack and keep you warm during winters!
250gramsattawhole wheat flour, 2 cups minus 2 teaspoons
1/2teaspoonginger powdersonth, you can add more to taste
1& 1/2 teaspooncardamom powder
1cupgranulated white sugar200 grams, powdered using a blender, do not replace with powdered sugar/icing sugar
Instructions
Start by coarsely chopping the nuts. To a food processor add 1/4 cup each of pistachios, cashews and almonds. Pulse few times until the nuts are coarsely chopped and set aside.
Now, from the 1 cup (200 grams) of melted ghee, take 2 tablespoons and add to a pan on medium heat. Then to that add, 1/3 cup gond/edible gum (60 grams). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the gond swells up and become translucent and then remove on a plate. Once it has cooled down, pulse it in a food processor and grind it coarsely and set it aside.
Now, to the same pan add the prepared chopped nuts along with 1/4 cup golden raisins (30 grams) and1/4 cup melon seeds (30 grams). Cook for 1 minute until the nuts are lightly toasted and them remove on a plate.
To the same pan now add the remaining ghee (we had used only 2 tablespoons from the 1 cup before) and then add 250 grams of atta to it. Stir and mix the atta with the ghee.
Start stirring the atta on low heat continuously and set heat on low. The mixture will be crumbly at first but will start to loosen up at around 10 minutes. Remember to stir constantly on low heat.
The atta will continue to become darker in color. For me it was roasted at 15 minutes mark. However, I wanted a darker color for the pinni so I continued to roast it for 10 more minutes. In total, I roasted the atta for 25 minutes on low heat. Once roasted, atta will have a nice nutty aroma, it will become pasty and liquid-y (it's okay if doesn't become like a total smooth paste) and you will see ghee on top and the atta will feel lighter when you stir it with a spatula. Stir constantly towards the end especially else the atta will burn. Remove on a plate and let it cool down to room temperature.
Once the atta has cooled down, transfer the atta to a large bowl or pan. Add the crushed gond/edible gum, the roasted nuts, raisins and melon seeds mixture to the pan along with the atta. Mix everything until combined.
Then add 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cardamom powder and 1 cup granulated white sugar (200 grams) which was powdered in a blender before using in the recipe. I would not recommend using icing/confectioners sugar. Mix using your hands until the sugar, spices, nuts and atta are well combined with each other.
Now, start shaping the ladoos. Pinnis are typically shaped in 2 ways. The traditional shape is the oval shape. To make it this way, press some of the mixture between you and make a fist. Open the fist, and your pinni is shaped. It will have your finger marks on it and that's a very traditional look of homemade pinnis.Or you can make them round. Garnish with almond on top.
Make and shape all pinnis similarly until the entire mixture is finished. I shaped them round and got 18 pinnis, each weighing around 40 grams. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks.
Notes
Make sure to roast the atta correctly. You don't want your ladoos to taste raw.
Don't cut down on the ghee, it is what makes these pinnis so good!
Stirring constantly on low heat is essential. The atta might burn if you are not stirring it constantly. It's even more crucial towards the end of the roasting process.