Recently I received a gift of deep dark raisins from my sister. I should say – ‘huge gift’ since there was about 6 pounds of it! These were fresh (or freshly dried or picked fresh and then dried or whatever process is employed for making raisins!). My BIL has a client who apparently hails from Nashik district in India which is famous for its grapes. Anyways, I thanked my sis and my BIL profusely and told them it was so generous of them to send so much! The raisins occupied one entire drawer in my pantry and everytime I opened my pantry I wondered what I could do with them. And then my dad arrived. And with him came another bag full of …guess what? yes you guessed it right, raisins! More raisins! Yikes! What am I supposed to do with them? My dad said he had no clue but that BIL thought you loved the previous delivery and so had thoughtfully sent in some more!
OK so I have been meaning to try a lot of recipes where I could use raisins. But in all honesty I haven’t had the time to try out new recipes or experiment on my own. However there was one way I thought where I could use them instantly without much effort and that was for making these raisin, coconut and chocolate balls. For making these balls, I normally just combine chocolate, coconut and nuts. This time of course I added raisins too! And lots of them! I tried different proportions of the ingredients and finally came up with this winner recipe! 🙂 And best part – Oh it’s so easy to make – even the kids can make this! As I saw it there was only one slight problem – what name should I give these adorable cute treats? Hah, what else then ‘ladoos’? Ladoo is a term used for many Indian sweets that are shaped into small balls. And for that reason it is sometimes (read as in Indu’s dictionary) also used to endearingly address a dear and darling loved one! So what better name than ‘ladoos’ for these little darlings that are a perfect treat on any day – You can indulge guilt free as this has all the good stuff in it – raisins, coconut,dried cranberries, walnuts and of course good old chocolate! So these ladoos have entrenched themselves in our home and we are not complaining.! And yes I can finally use up all those raisins! 🙂
I am also bringing these ‘chocoraisin’ ladoos to Fiesta Friday #31 where every week there is a party and what a lovely collection of cooks and their recipes.
NOTES:
- You don’t need to weigh the chocolate exactly – what I do is read the label to figure out the total gs in a chocolate bar and then combine pieces to make approx 100gs. A little more or la little less should be ok.
- One thing about Chocolate bars is that you can melt them either using the double boiler method (where you place the chocolate in a bowl that is placed on another pot that has boiling water) or you can melt it in the microwave in small 30 sec intervals. Chocolate also behaves differently depending upon the room temperature. Hence consider the quantities here as approximate and you may need to either increase slightly the quantity of chocolate or the coconut in order to properly form the ladoos. Once you keep that in mind, making these ladoos is a breeze!
[…] I would have half of a Lindt truffle instead of a whole one or add nuts and dry fruits and make my choco-coco balls to make me feel less guilty.! Recently however having begun to incorporate coconut oil in my […]
They look sooo adorable <3
thanks! 🙂
wow !!! looks fantastic !! 🙂
thanks Andy! 🙂
This is a very clever way to use up an excess of raisins, mixing them with fruit, nuts and chocolate. They really do look delicious. They will be a hit at Fiesta Friday.
thanks Hilda! yes these are indeed so delicious and such a breeze to make! 🙂
Just a super fabulous recipe :).
thanks Sonal! 🙂
Love ladoos, but have never tried a choco version yet… .there’s always a first right? They look quite yummy!! 🙂
thx Loretta. yes do try these they are yummy! 🙂
Nutty palatable ladoos….thanx for sharing…Happy FF..
u r welcome! AND HAPPY FF TO U TOO! 🙂
These look really wonderful Indu!
thanks Naina. yes they are easy treats!
Love this recipe, best way to use dry fruit!
thanks Apsara. yes isn’t it? thx for stopping by. How have u been? Sorry I have been not so regular on wordpress…have been busy! 🙂
I’m doing well, Indu. Even I’m not able to find much time for WP. Always wondered how you managed everything with a busy career! 🙂
🙂 yes it is really hard but I love doing it so try to find time! 🙂
Same here, with not being regular. So many things going on! Work starts this morning so perhaps I can now slow down, haha…. Your ladoos sound delightful. Oatmeal raisin cookies are my #1 reason for getting raisins. Other than that, I’ll probably sprinkle them on salads. Having a glut of raisins is a nice “problem” to have, Indu! 🙂
Hi Angie, Looks like most of us are in the same boat with so many things going on! Yes I am also grateful that school has started so I have some semblance of routine and order back on.! Summer was enjoyable but very hectic! And I agree having an overload of raisins is hardly a big problem right? 🙂
They look very rich and delicious Indu….
thanks swapna! Yes they are indeed yummy! 🙂
Oh how funny about your BIL and the catering quantities of raisins. I’m not sure that I would know what to do with them all! You have made a good start on them with this recipe though! Happy FF!
Hi Selma, Exactly – they were really catering/bulk quantities! ha ha thanks so much for visiting. yes this is an easy recipe! HAPPY FF TO YOU TOO! 🙂
Wow, Indu! So many raisins, so little time! Later in the fall, you should start making Christmas puddings! Those raisins would be magic there! Great recipe you have here too! 😀
Hi Julianna
what a great idea! thanks! That’s a good way to use the raisins. I dont mind eating them on their own but the family eats it only if they are mixed with something! 🙂
Choc balls:-) aww love it
thanks so much! 🙂
Lovely recipe! And duly noted that you love raisins by the tons. :-p
LOL Aruna! yes I guess that’s obvious! thanks! 🙂
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