Ok after just posting the Coconut Barfi recipe yesterday, here I come with another Barfi recipe! Actually this chocolate Barfi is something I have been meaning to try making for the longest of times! And I wanted to make an AIP version which is really hard since you need something that’s rich like milk solids or nuts. Making barfi without either of these ingredients was a challenge. However, after working with tigernut flour since the past year, I had been formulating a Barfi recipe in my mind! I finally was able to give it a try today!
Chocolate Barfi used to be really popular when I was a kid. The marriage of chocolate with an Indian dessert was a perfect fusion dessert for a foodie like me. So somehow after last few years of avoiding Indian sweets altogether (yes the sugar, the dairy and the nuts!), I was craving for my favorite chocolate Barfi! And I am so glad that tigernut flour came to the rescue! It has a mildly nutty flavor that perfectly goes with chocolate. I use raw cacao powder in this recipe but for AIP elimination phase, you can just sub carob for raw cacao! 
Btw, there was one more reason that I wanted to make Chocolate Barfi this year. Dr Sarah Ballantyne recently talked about the benefits of chocolate and raw cacao in one of her weekly newsletters! Dr Sarah says that the Nutrivore Score of unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutched/processed with alkali, more on that below) is a whopping 1049! That makes cocoa powder more nutrient-dense than artichoke (898), sweet potatoes (506), or crab (973)! (To read more, check out Sarah’s article – The health benefits of chocolate)
Yay! So now that we know chocolate is good for you, we can eat more of it! And this barfi is a great recipe! For those on AIP, remember that cocoa or chocolate are AIP reintroduction foods and are not elimination phase compliant.
I also always wanted to try using edible silver leaf on desserts and this time I was able to order some in advance. Most Indian gourmet sweets have such silver leaf decorations that make them look really luxurious. So I decided to try my hand at it! It was a little tricky to get the leaf to stay flat as it’s extremely thin and flimsy. But hey not bad for my first time efforts right?:) This is the brand of silver leaf I used.
Happy Diwali again friends! Have a happy and healthy new year!
- ½ cup palm shortening, melted (for substitutions, see notes)
- 2 cups tiger nut flour
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1½ tbsps raw cacao powder (use carob for AIP)
- edible silver leaves for decoration
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Keep aside.
- Heat a stainless steel saute pan and add the palm shortening. Then add the tiger nut flour and salt and stir frequently on low heat breaking any lumps. After two minutes, add the coconut sugar and the coconut milk and continue to stir. Make sure to break all lumps and stir for 2 to 3 mins until you get a cohesive mass that begins to separate easily from the pan. Turn heat off and add the raw cacao powder (or the carob for AIP) and continue to mix using a spoon. Stir until the cacao (or carob) is completely incorporated into the mixture.
- Dump the above mixture into the parchment lined loaf pan. Using the back of a glass pat to spread the mixture evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- After the mixture is set, take the pan out and transfer the block of fudge onto a board and cut into squares using a large thick knife. Decorate carefully using edible silver leaf.
Other Diwali sweets that I have posted before:
Grain free Gujiyas (Paleo, AIP, Vegan)
Chocolate Coconut Truffles (Paleo, AIP, Keto)
Sweet Potato Kheer (Paleo, AIP, Vegan)
Kaju Barfi with Honey || Kaju Katli || Cashew Nut Fudge (Refined Sugar Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Walnut Barfi || Walnut Fudge (Paleo, Vegan)
We love this recipe. This is a huge hit with everyone including my non AIP friends. Thank you Indu ☺️
Thanks so much for sharing! I am so happy to hear that:)
Hi Manjusha, Do you mind rating the recipe? Thanks so much!