My kids have a fondness for Indian sweets combined with chocolate. Could be the comfort of familiar flavors, but desserts with like chocolate kulfi or brownie cheesecake bites are a hit, always!
However, I can assure you that this chocolate barfi recipe holds appeal for adults as well. This easy recipe has a creamy & chocolaty essence and can be prepared quickly using just a handful of ingredients. No special equipments needed! All you need is a reliable nonstick pan and a tray for setting the burfi!
Chocolate Burfi
Traditional indian burfi or milk barfi, is an indian sweet often compared to fudge. I am guilty of doing the same in the past before I tasted the real fudge. Burfi is fudgy for sure, however this sweet confectionary has more layers of flavors going on. Milk burfi is made by cooking down milk and then sweetened with sugar and flavored with (mostly) green cardamom and then sugar the mixture is set, cooled, and cut into various shapes, often squares or diamonds, before being served. There are burfi recipes like mango burfi, besan burfi and kaju katli that use fruits, flours and nuts. Ideally, mawa is used for making chocolate mawa burfi and to the reduced milk solids, melted chocolate or most commonly, cocoa powder is added. In my recipe I use milk powder. You could make this burfi two ways-
Double Layer Chocolate Burfi- Make a layer of milk burfi and set a second chocolate layer on top. This kind has a two distinct cream and brown top layer and looks so pretty. I prepare this kind because I feel its the best of both worlds. With milky layer and a rich chocolate layer, its absolutely delicious! All Chocolate - Flavor the entire milk burfi base with chocolate and set it. The set burfi is fully brown.
Why I Love This Recipe
Tried and Tested - I shared this recipe about 3-4 years ago on my Instagram page and ever since it has been tried by many with great feedback. Too me long, but I am so happy to finally add this delicious treat to the blog. Fuss Free & Time Saving - My favorite thing about this recipe is that you make a large milk burfi base that’s enough for both the layers. No need to make the chocolate layer separately- saves measuring and cooking time both! Creamy & Delicious - And buttery and chocolaty! This chocolate burfi is absolutely delightful & indulgent! A treat for chocolate lovers. Customizable - I use milk chocolate chips in my recipe because the main consumers are my kids. You could use semi sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips per your liking. Makes for a delicious edible gift during the festival season
Ingredients
Unsalted Butter Milk Powder - Full Fat Milk powder is different from milk whitener, or instant milk powder used for beverages. My favorite brand to use is Nido brand which has a very good percent of milk fat. You can also use mawa powder from Deep foods or Laxmi foods, easily available in indian grocery stores. Chocolate Chips - Or you could use chopped chocolate bars. Ground Cashews - I use pre package fine cashew powder to add nuttiness to the burfi. You could use super fine almond powder too (My original recipe used it and it works wonderfully) Green Cardamom Powder - The combination of chocolate and cardamom is balmy. However you could add vanilla extract if you wish. Other Ingredients - Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar(or castor sugar not boora, the cornstarch helps in the recipe), edible silver or gold leaf for decorating
How to Make Chocolate Burfi (Step Photos)
Preparation
Make Burfi Mixture
How To Tell When The Barfi Mixture is ready to set You will notice that the mixture will begin clumping around the spatula and will feel like a smooth dough. It will be thickish to stir. It will start leaving the sides of the pan and you will be easily able to fold it over itself without spreading much(image 9). Immediately take off the heat. We don’t want it to dry out or turn into a dough.
Set the Chocolate Burfi
Recipe Tips
Use high quality chocolate for best taste and texture. A non stick pan and a soft spatula or a wooden spatula works best while making the burfi. Avoid steel or iron pans. I use a 6 by 6 inch baking tray to set the burfi and the slices come out nice and thick. Use a 8 by 8 inch tray for “thinner” slices. For a nut free chocolate burfi, skip using the ground cashews and use ⅔ cup milk powder instead. You many need to cook a little less or longer for the mixture to reach the right consistency. Use the green cardamom powder (or any flavor that you are using sparingly) to let the chocolate shine.
Storage
During cold months, store chocolate burfi in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days. If it’s hot outside, store refrigerated. Refrigeration does change the texture of indian sweets and same is true for chocolate burfi. I recommend taking out of the fridge 20 minutes or so before serving for a soft bite.
