This Saturday, 14 November, we celebrate the beautifully symbolic Indian Festival of Lights.
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”.
Nestlé Recipes With Love shares some recipes to make your celebrations deliciously sweet.
[divider]Burfee Truffles[/divider]
Serving portion: 24 pieces
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Presentation Time: 20 minutes
Waiting Time: 75 minutes
Total Time: 155 minutes
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp Clover Butter Ghee
1 Cup Fresh Cream
4 Cups NESTLÉ KLIM Milk Powder
2/3 cup NESTLÉ SWEETENED CONDENSED Milk
Freshly ground Green Cardamom Pods
3 tablespoons Rose Essence
Method:
Heat the ghee, cream, condensed milk, rose essence and cardamom powder in a heavy base pot. (5 minutes)
When small bubbles appear, add the milk powder in, a little at a time. Stir until it has cooked through and forms a soft mixture. (5 minutes)
Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. Can place in fridge. (30 minutes)
Once the mixture becomes cool enough to handle, shape it into small balls and place on a baking sheet. (15 minutes)
Refrigerate to set. (45 minutes)
Using chocolate of your choice, once the balls have set, dip into melted chocolate and garnish to your desire. (20 minutes)
[divider]Channa Magaj[/divider] 
Serving portion: 24 pieces
Difficulty level : Intermediate
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Presentation Time: 30 minutes
Waiting Time: 200 minutes
Total Time: 300 minutes
Ingredients:
500g Gram Flour
2 cups ghee
2 cups icing sugar
1.5 cups NESTLÉ KLIM MILK POWDER
3/4 cup fresh cream
2 tablespoons freshly ground cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 tablespoon rose essence
Method:
Bring the fresh cream and a tablespoon of ghee to a light boil on the stove. (5 minutes)
Remove from the stove and add it in the gram flour. Mix well, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside to dry (120 minutes)
Using a heavy base pot, melt the remaining ghee. Add in the cardamom powder, nutmeg and gram flour mixture. (5 minutes)
Cook over low to medium heat for at least 40 minutes. This burns easily so watch and adjust the stove as needed. The mixture will darken but not be dark brown. You have to continuously stir the mixture. (40 minutes)
Remove from the stove and allow to cool completely. (80 minutes at least)
Sift in the icing sugar and klim. Add in the ground cardamom and nutmeg and the tablespoon of rose essence and mix well. (10 minutes)
Press into a lined baking tray or shape as desired. Garnish as desired. I used colored almonds. (30 minutes)
[divider]Chocolate Laddoo[/divider]
Serving portion: 12 pieces
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Presentation Time: 5 minutes
Waiting Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 80 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Clover Butter Ghee
3/4 can NESTLÉ SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
1.5 cups Almond Flour
4 tablespoons NESTLÉ KLIM MILK POWDER
6 tablespoons NESTLÉ COCOA POWDER
2 tablespoons finely chopped Hazelnuts
Method:
Bring ghee and condensed milk to simmer in a thick based pot. (5 minutes)
Increase heat slightly after 10 minutes to bring to a boil, whilst stirring continuously. (5 minutes)
Add in the klim milk powder, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and almond flour to the mixture. Keep stirring, smashing any lumps, to create a smooth batter. Allow for the batter to thicken. (10 minutes)
Line a glass casserole with spray & cook, pour the mixture in and allow to cool. (15 minutes)
You can place in the refrigerator to cool but remember we don’t want it to set fully as we still need to mold them into shape. (15 minutes)
Once mixture is cooled and manageable, roll into small ball like shapes. (20 minutes)
Garnish to your desire and store in an air tight container. (15 minutes)
[divider]Chocolate, Coconut & Cardamom Mounds[/divider] 
Serving portion: 18
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Presentation Time: 10 minutes
Waiting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup rolled oats
4 tablespoons NESTLÉ COCOA POWDER
5 tablespoons castor sugar
1.5 cups flour ( you will add this as needed)
225g Butter ( softened )
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix all dry ingredients together, except the flour. (5 minutes)
Add in the butter- mix well. (3 minutes)
Add in flour, a little at a time as required to get a soft dough consistency. You may not need to use all the flour. (5 minutes)
Shape into Mounds. (10 minutes)
Bake for 10-12 minutes. These burn quite easily on the bottom. (10-12 minutes)
Allow to cool, before removing them from baking tray. (15 minutes)
I garnished with white chocolate swirls and colored desiccated coconut. (10 minutes)
[divider]Gulab Jamuns[/divider]
Serving portion: 24
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Presentation Time: 15 minutes
Waiting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 85 minutes
Ingredients:
1/4 can NESTLÉ SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
2 tablespoons NESTLÉ KLIM MILK POWDER
2 tablespoons melted ghee
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup self-raising flour
Oil/ ghee for frying
For syrup:
2 cups sugar, 1 drop lemon juice, 1.5 cups water, pinch of cardamom powder, 1 teaspoon rose essence.
Method:
Being syrup to boil on medium heat. I keep my syrup slightly more runny after its reduced. You can switch off and leave on the warm plate until you’re ready to use. (15-20 minutes)
In a bowl, mix the ghee, milk, cardamom powder, nutmeg, and condensed milk. Sift in the klim and self-raising flour. Mix well to form a soft dough. (10 minutes)
Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape either in ball or finger – like form. I try not to make my ones too thick. (10 minutes)
Fry in either ghee or oil on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. You may have to adjust heat during the frying process. (15 minutes)
I use a slotted spoon to remove from oil and place into syrup immediately to coat. (10 minutes)
Garnish to your desire. (10 minutes)
[divider]Gulab Jamuns[/divider]
Serving portion: 24
Difficulty level : Easy
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Presentation Time: 15 minutes
Waiting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 85 minutes
Ingredients:
1/4 can NESTLÉ SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
2 tablespoons NESTLÉ KLIM Milk POWDER
2 tablespoons melted ghee
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup self- raising flour
Oil/ ghee for frying
For syrup:
2 cups sugar, 1 drop lemon juice, 1.5 cups water, pinch of cardamom powder, 1 teaspoon rose essence.
Method:
Being syrup to boil on medium heat. I keep my syrup slightly more runny after its reduced. You can switch off and leave on the warm plate until you’re ready to use. (15-20 minutes)
In a bowl, mix the ghee, milk, cardamom powder, nutmeg, and condensed milk. Sift in the klim and self-raising flour. Mix well to form a soft dough. (10 minutes)
Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape either in ball or finger – like form. I try not to make my ones too thick. (10 minutes)
Fry in either ghee or oil on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. You may have to adjust heat during the frying process. (15 minutes)
I use a slotted spoon to remove from oil and place into syrup immediately to coat. (10 minutes)
Garnish to your desire. (10 minutes)
[divider]Vermicelli nests with Shrikhand filling[/divider]
Serving portion: 10 pieces
Difficulty level : Intermediate
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Presentation Time: 10 minutes
Waiting Time: 105 minutes
Total Time: 155 minutes
Ingredients:
Nests:
500g vermicelli
1/4 can NESTLÉ SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
5 tablespoons butter
Shrikhand:
2 cups full fat plain greek yoghurt
4 Tablespoons icing sugar ( adjust to suit your tastes)
2 teaspoons cardamom powder
5 tablespoons NESTLÉ KLIM Milk Powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons milk
Garnish:
Chopped pistachios
Pomegranate seeds
Method:
Place yoghurt in muslin cloth to remove water content. I tied it up, and hung it over a bowl in the sink, so the water dripped out. (60 minutes)
In a pot, melt the butter and break the vermicelli into smaller strands into the pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring until evenly browned and fried. Switch off and remove from heat. (10-15 minutes)
Add in the condensed milk and mix well until evenly combined. (5 minutes)
Spoon into silicone mold and place in fridge. (30 minutes)
In a bowl, mix the yoghurt, icing sugar, klim, almonds, milk, and cardamom powder together. Mix well. Adjust sugar content to suit your tastes. Place in fridge. (15 minutes)
To serve, unmold the nests, spoon some of the Shrikhand filling into the nest and garnish with Pomegranate and pistachio. (5 minutes)
[divider]Soji with almonds and cream[/divider]
Serving portion: 8
Difficulty level : Intermediate
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: +- 45 minutes
Presentation Time: 10 minutes
Waiting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes
Ingredients:
250g butter / margarine
1 cup semolina
2 cinnamon sticks
500ml milk
1/2 tin NESTLÉ CONDENSED MILK
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup NESTLÉ KLIM POWDER
2 teaspoons cardamom powder
4 tablespoons chopped almonds
3 Tablespoons Rose Essence
1 can NESTLÉ DESSERT CREAM (optional for garnish)
Colored Almonds/ chopped Pistachios for garnish
1 teaspoon Egg yellow powder food coloring
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a pot, melt butter. Add in cinnamon sticks, almonds and semolina. Fry on medium heat. (5-8 minutes)
Mix the milk, rose essence and milk powder together. Add into the semolina mixture. Stirring until mixture thickens slightly. (10 minutes)
Add in the condensed milk, sugar, cardamom powder, and egg yellow coloring. Mix fast and mix through well. Allow to thicken once again. (10-12 minutes)
Place in oven proof dish/ pot and allow to bake. It will thicken more this way and all the flavors will infuse. (10-15 minutes)
Garnish with desset cream and almonds/pistachios. (10 minutes)
[divider]Rose & Chocolate Indian Milk Cake[/divider]
Serving portion: 8 pieces
Difficulty level : Challenging
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 75 minutes
Presentation Time: 10 minutes
Waiting Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 165 minutes
Ingredients:
4 litres full cream Milk
4 tablespoons ghee
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons NESTLÉ COCOA POWDER
3 tablespoons rose flavored syrup
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Method:
Add Milk to a thick based pot and bring to boil, reduce to 1/2 of the quantity, stirring continuously so it doesn’t burn, on medium heat. (40-60 minutes).
Add in the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, mix thoroughly and allow for mixture to curdle. (5 minutes)
Gradually mix in 1/2 cup white sugar. (3 minutes)
Thereafter mix in the 4 tablespoons of ghee and mix thoroughly. (2 minutes)
Allow the mixture to thicken further, then remove from heat. (5-10 minutes)
Separate mixture into two bowls. Mix in the 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder in one bowl and the rose syrup in the other. Mix well. (10 minutes)
Line mold/baking tray. Smoothen the chocolate mixture on the bottom half and the rose mixture on top. Alternatively mold separately. (10 minutes)
Set in fridge. (40 minutes)
Unmold, cut into slices and garnish with edible rose petals and pistachios. (10 minutes)