Baked Kesar Gujiya with stuffing of Cashews

Traditionally, gujiyas are sweet, deep fried dumplings stuffed with coconut, dry fruits, aromatics and ricotta like dairy product called khoya/mawa. Today, i am taking a lightly unconventional approach for the stuffing and making some kaju katli inspired, non fried gujiya ! Enjoy

My childhood with Gujiyas

If there is one sweet which i make every single year for Holi, it is Gujiyas. Ever since i was a kid, the festival of holi meant 3 things to me – colors, get togethers and Gujiyas. This was the routine at our place every single year. Year after year, my mom would make the exact set of sweets and savories days in advance and while she prepared them, me and my sister would literally be drooling to get our share. That made our wait for the festival so much more fun !

My mother ensured that we did not get to taste the sweets while she prepared them 😛 I think i now understand why .. i am sure she assumed that if she allowed us to eat some before the festival even started, we would probably eat it all up before the d day and she would have nothing left for the guests 😛 hehe

Celebrating with Gujiyas abroad

I have seen my mother make Gujiyas for so many years that after i got married i make gujiyas and re-live the memories every single year. Now, i keep making my own variations to the recipe and play some peppy bollywood songs for holi while i make them… i actually feel like a different person when i cook listening to those tunes !!

This time, i am taking the inspiration for the stuffing from this another classic Indian sweet called Kaju katli/ Cashew fudge. It tastes divine so i though why not combine the 2 sweets together and make something even more awesome !! Check out the recipe below !

Kesar Kaaju Gujiya

kesar kaaju gujiya

Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: medium
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kesar Kaaju Gujiya copy.jpg

Ingredients

For this recipe we need : mixing bowls 2 no.s, mixing spoons, baking tray, rolling pin, gujiya making press (optional)

Dough for Gujiya

1 cup All purpose flour
2 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter
3-4 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (take 4-5 green cardamom. Remove the seeds and crush to a powder)
7-8 strands of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk

Stuffing

1/2 cup grated / desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon chirauji (optional)
15-20 cashews/kaju, powdered (will yield about 1/2 cup cashew powder)
5-6 chopped almonds
10-12 raisins
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
7-8 strands of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk

Method

Begin with kneading the dough. In a mixing bowl, take the flour. Add in the clarified butter/ghee and mix together till the flour starts to resemble like bread crumbs. Next, Add in the cardamom powder and saffron infused milk (remove the strands to mix into the filling). Add in 1 tablespoon of water at a time and knead into a semi soft dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
For the stuffing, take a mixing bowl and add all the ingredients for the stuffing. Now, add in the saffron strands leftover from the saffron milk for the dough in the stuffing mixture and mix everything together.
Divide the dough into 12-14 dough balls. Take one dough ball and roll out into a 1-1.5mm thick round. Add the stuffing into one center of the round. Use your finger to apply a little water along the perimeter of the round and next fold one half of the round to a semicircle. Press tightly to ensure that the gujiya is sealed well. Repeat with all the dough balls.
Arrange on a pre-greased baking sheet and let it rest. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.
Apply a thin layer of ghee on the side facing upwards and place in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or till the gujiyas are golden and crunchy. Kesar Kaju Gujiyas are ready !!

So, how is that for a twist on the traditional gujiya recipe?

I have tried this recipe with kaju katli mixed with dry fruits and aromatics for the filling as well and that tastes amazing too !! So, if you like gujiyas as much as i do, you should give this recipe a go for sure !!

Looking for more ideas for sweets and snacks? Hop onto my Holi Special’s recipe collection