The Badam Burfi Bark Fit to Make for Diwali

A treat that's truly pretty in pink 💝

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Hi all, hope everyone’s having a great week! Diwali begins tomorrow (!!!), and it’s just as much of a time for tucking into joyous spreads of sweets as it is for lighting lamps and decorating homes to celebrate light’s triumphant victory over darkness and evil. Symbolizing joy and prosperity, desserts play an integral role in Diwali celebrations—an opportunity for neighbors, friends, family, to exchange gifts as a way of fostering community and conveying good wishes in the upcoming year. 

The other day, Hardie Grant Publishing was kind enough to send me a copy of Hetal Vasavada’s gorgeous new book, “Desi Bakes,” a collection of recipes for eye-catching, vibrant sweets of every color in the rainbow that meld traditional Indian flavors with Western baking techniques. Its pages contain a variety of uniquely-inspired treats, from bright orange-and-pink checkerboard cookies inspired by Madras, a multi-colored plaid print hailing from the eponymous city (now Chennai), to chocolate toffee bark topped with a generous sprinkling of savory, spiced Gujarati snacks like roasted peanuts, fried mung beans, and turmeric-roasted chickpeas—all perfect for any time of the year, not just Diwali.

Today, I’m sharing this recipe for badam burfi bark from the book’s “Small Bites” chapter. Badam burfi is a classic dessert created by cooking down ground almonds, sugar, and milk until it becomes a dense, fudgy treat with a rich, nutty flavor. Hetal takes it up a notch in her version, however, with a layer of ruby chocolate topped with crumbled freeze-drized strawberries, specks of gold leaves, and an assortment of little edible flowers. Ruby chocolate’s a bit of an acquired taste due to its tartness, but it does well in balancing the sweetness from the almond burfi (psst … you can find ruby chocolate at your local baking store or on Amazon; I’ve attached a link in the recipe below).

There’s no pressure to stick to just edible flowers and strawberries, of course. Hetal encourages you to swap out the nut flours, spices, and chocolate in this recipe to create a winning combination that’s uniquely yours. Try hazelnut flour, cinnamon, and milk chocolate; pistachio, cardamom, and white chocolate; or even almond flour, cinnamon, and dark chocolate—the world’s your oyster! (Or, I suppose, your badam burfi bark).

By the way, if you’re looking for another fun dessert to try out for Diwali, may I recommend this one for gulab jamun? This is Khushbu Shah’s version from her debut book, “Amrikan,” and her ingenious hack for using Bisquick to yield a cakey doughnut with a tender crumb makes this recipe delicious and easy.

The “Bis-QUICK” Auntie Hack for Perfect, Tender Gulab Jamun

• Softened ghee, for the pan

Badam burfi

• 1 ¼ cups (120 grams) almond flour

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar

• ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) water

• 1 tablespoon ghee

Topping

• ¾ cup (128 grams) chopped ruby chocolate

• 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries

• Edible flowers, fresh or dried (optional)

• Gold leaf (optional)

Preparation

1. Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with ghee and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

For the badam burfi

1. Sift the almond flour, cardamom, and salt into a small bowl. This helps make sure your burfi is smooth and lump-free. Set aside.

2. In a nonstick medium saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Once the syrup comes to a boil, continue cooking until the sugar syrup reaches “one-string” consistency (see notes), about 2 minutes. 

3. Add the almond flour mixture and ghee and stir for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and press the mixture into a thin layer using a clean spatula. If it feels too sticky, grease your spatula with ghee and continue pressing. Set the bark aside to cool.

For the topping

1. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the ruby chocolate in 15-second increments, stirring well after each until the chocolate has melted. (Alternatively, if you don’t have a microwave, bring a small pot of water to a boil and set a small heatproof bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Add the ruby chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted, about 2 minutes.)

2. Pour the chocolate over the bark and spread it into a thin layer by tilting the pan until all the chocolate spreads out over the bark. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to level the chocolate out. Top with crumbled freeze-dried strawberries and flowers (if using). Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate sets. Top with flecks of gold leaf, if desired, and cut into geometric shapes to serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature if you use dried flowers.

Some notes from Hetal: 

• To check for “one-string consistency,” dip a spoon into the syrup, letting it cool for a few seconds, taking a tiny amount of the syrup, rubbing it between your thumb and pointer finger, and gently pulling them apart. If you see a single string formed, and it doesn’t break when your pointer finger and your thumb are pulled apart, then the syrup is done. 

• You can also use almond meal here, though it tends to include the almond skins. Almond meal will change the appearance of the burfi and give it a little texture. 

• Make sure to use finely-ground almond flour for this recipe, otherwise the final bark will be slightly coarse. 

• If you’re using fresh flowers, add the flower petals to the chocolate when it’s slightly cool, but not yet set. If you add fresh flower petals to hot/warm melted chocolate, the petals will wilt quickly and curl up. 

• To cut the bark into clean slices, let the bark come to room temperature before cutting it. If you cut it while it’s frozen or very cold, the chocolate might shatter. Use a large chef’s knife and cut the bark by pressing directly down with even pressure, wiping the knife down between each cut. To get the sharp angles, cut the bark into 3 or 4 large chunks first then cut each chunk into smaller pieces, cutting in a different direction each time.

Recipe adapted from “Desi Bakes: 85 Recipes Bringing the Best of Indian Flavors to Western-Style Desserts” by Hetal Vasavada. Copyright © 2024. Used with permission of Hardie Grant Publishing. All rights reserved.