No celebration is complete without sweets. This Diwali, make sweets at home rather than buying from market, and share with your family, friends and loved ones.

1.Walnut ladoo recipe

This recipe makes use of no fat or oil. Also the addition of jaggery instead of sugar makes it a healthy option.

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
1 cup walnuts heaped
1 cup poha, beaten rice or cornflakes
¾ cup palm sugar or jaggery or palm jaggery
¼ tsp cardamom powder

Method
1. Dry roast beaten rice on medium high flame till they turn crispy. (Do not discolour them by burning)
2. Dry roast walnuts. Set aside to cool. Grate jaggery or palm sugar.
3. Once the beaten rice is cooled, just crush them with palms to get tiny crisps.
4. Powder the walnuts in a mixer, add jaggery and blend.
5. Add this mixture with the beaten rice crisps and knead well and make small balls or walnut ladoo.

2. Coconut til ladoo

This triple ingredient recipe is a must have this festive season. Also, the use of dates to sweeten it up adds to nutritive value.

Ingredients

2 cups white sesame seeds
1 and 1/2 cup chopped dates
1 cup dry grated coconut

Method

1. Finely chop de-seeded dates.

2. Dry roast sesame in a wok for around 1-2 minutes on medium flame until it light golden.

3. Keep aside the sesame to cool.

4. Add coconut to the wok. Stir well.

5. Lightly grind the cooled sesame in a dry grinder more for a few seconds. Make sure you don't grind it to fine.

6. Take the ground sesame seeds in a bowl. Add chopped dates and coconut powder and mix well.

7. Take small amount of mixture and roll it in hand to form a ball or ladoo. You can roll the ladoo in some coconut powder to add texture.

3. Lauki burfi

This mouth watering dessert is a must have this festive season. This dull and bland flavoured vegetable does wonders with this burfi.

Ingredients

Bottle Gourd grated-2 cups
Khoya 1 1/2 cups
Ghee for greasing
Milk 2 cups
Mixed nuts chopped-1/2 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Grease an aluminum tray with sufficient ghee. Boil milk in a deep non-stick pan. Add grated bottle gourd and mix.

2. Add khoya, half the chopped nuts and sugar. Mix well and cook for five to ten minutes.

3. Remove from heat, pour into the greased tray and spread evenly. Sprinkle cardamom powder and remaining chopped nuts and set aside for an hour.

4. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

4. Papaya halwa

This sweet delicacy is a blend of nutrition with taste. The high fiber content of papaya and its rich Vitamin A content gives a hike to its nutritive value.

Ingredients

Ghee 2 tablespoons
Papaya semi ripe, grated 1 large
Sugar ¼ cup
Almond powder 3 tablespoons
Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
Khoya/mawa crumbled 3 tablespoons
Almonds sliced 6-7

Method

1. Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add papaya and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously.

2. Add sugar, mix and cook for 5-10 or till the papaya is fully done.

3. Add almond powder and cardamom powder and mix well. Add khoya and mix well.

4. Serve hot garnished with almonds.

5. Biscuit crunch pudding

A simple, yet delicious layered sweetness, with layers of custard, crunch and bread. A perfect blend of crunch and softness just lingers the tongue to have more!

Ingredients

Glucose Biscuit - 2 packets
Water - 1/2 cup
Coffee powder - 1 tbsp
Sugar

For Custard :
Milk - 3 cup
Custard powder - 2 tbsp
sugar as needed
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

For Crunch :
Cashew - 50 nos
Sugar(separately) - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp

1. Mix coffee, sugar and water together.
2.  Make custard from custard powder and allow it to cool.After it cools add sugar and vanilla essence.Refrigerate it and allow it to cool.

3.  For making crunch, heat oil in a pan and add sugar and cashew to it.Cook until it is brown in colour.
4. Grease a bowl with butter, pour the mixture and crush once cool.

Arranging the pudding
1. Take glass dish.
2. Make a mixture of coffee and water.Dip biscuits in the mixture one by one.
3. Place the biscuits in a pan.Then pour half of the cold custard mixture on it.
4. Then place a layer of crunch on it.Then the layer of remaining custard.Repeat it until done completely.
5. Allow it to cool in refrigerator for 2-3 hours and serve

6. Shahi sweet pulao

The magic of spices unfolds, making the Zarda Pulao an experience that stays carved in your memory forever. Perfectly-cooked long-grained rice is tinged with saffron and rose water, enriched with mawa, boosted with spices and embellished with many a nut and dry fruit.

Ingredients

Rice soaked- 2 cups
Saffron - 1/2 cup
Saffron (kesar) - a pinch
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cloves 3-4
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Green cardamoms - 3
Raisins - 1 tablespoon
Almonds chopped- 5-6
Cashew Nuts chopped - 5-6

Method

1. Soak rice in four cups of water for one hour. Drain.

2. Heat two and a half cups of water in a deep pan. Add saffron and bring it to a boil. Add rice and let it come to a boil again.

3. Reduce heat and let the rice cook till it is three fourths done. Divide it into three portions. Heat two tablespoons ghee in a pan and sauté cashew nuts and raisins till golden. Set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 175°C. Take a glass bowl. Spread a portion of rice. Sprinkle one-third of the sugar, one tablespoon ghee, one-third the grated mawa, one-third the fried nuts and a few drops of rose water.

5. Repeat the layers twice. Mix a few drops of rose water in one-fourth cup of milk and sprinkle on the top. Cover the bowl with double layers of aluminium foil.

6. Place the bowl in the preheated oven and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes.

7. Take it out of the oven and let it stand for some time before removing the foil and serving.

The final word

May this festival of lights bring wisdom, abundance and compassion in your life.

Happy Diwali 2018!