This Burfi Recipe or Milk Fudge is made by reducing whole milk mixed with dry milk/milk powder. It is a must try on festive occasions. With just 10-15 minutes of prep time you can enjoy a homemade sweet that everyone is sure to love!
While this dessert is traditionally made by reducing milk (that demands a lot of time), today we are making it the quicker way!
Try my Easy Gulab Jamuns made with milk powder next. I bet you won't be able to tell the difference between them and khoya ones. You will also love this Kulfi Recipe. Find all Indian Desserts at one place on the blog.
Now there is already a lot to be done when festivities are just around the corner! During this time I always reach out for easy and trusted recipes over elaborate ones. Shortcuts where the end results don't suffer are so worth it! We are doing exactly this today!
Though you can also make it with milk solids/khoya, we are making this one with milk powder.
Ingredients you will need:
The ingredients are super simple and the list is very short! When a recipe uses less ingredients, it is imperative that you add quality ingredients and don't attempt to substitute them for best taste!
Let us quickly check what you requite to create this easy barfi recipe:
Whole Milk: Always take whole milk and not reduced fat milk when making this sweet. Water content in reduced fat milk is a lot more than in whole milk. So reduced fat milk will take much longer to get reduced and you will also end up with less milk solids.
Dry Milk/Milk Powder: Again reach out for full fat dry milk for best texture and taste.
Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the dessert.
Nuts, Flavorings of choice and Silver Leaf: All these are optional but add to the appearance of your sweet. Flavorings add aroma and I strongly suggest not to skip them. I have used cardamon here. You can got for vanilla, rose or even saffron flavors.
How to make it:
We will Simple reduce milk mixed with milk powder over flame to get a soft consistency dough. Remember to take a non-stick pan to reduce milk as we don't want the milk to scorch at the bottom of pan.
Stirring the mixture constantly and adding about 2 tablespoons of ghee or clarified butter helps with the milk solids not sticking to the pan.
We will then add sugar and flavorings to this dough, mix it well and set this dough on a tray/ square tin of choice.
You can also roll this dough between two parchment papers, decorate with silver leaf and then cut it into desired shapes.
Troubleshooting:
After a soft dough is formed, allow the mixture to cool down a bit. Grease your hands and try rolling a small ball in between your hands. If that ball doesn't stick, your dough is cooked enough.
If the ball sticks in your hands, place the dough back in pan and allow the dough to reduce a bit more before setting.
A perfectly made dough will be super soft to touch, yet non-sticky.
Tips for Recipe Success:
How to tell if the mixture is ready to be molded:
You are looking for a soft dough consistency while cooking this mixture. It is easy to get illusioned as the dough comes together that it its ready when it's not.
To make sure, allow the mixture to cool down a bit and then try forming a ball out of it with greased hands. If your dough is not sticking to your hands, it is ready to be molded.
If your barfi is not setting:
Add back the soft dough to your pan and continue to cook it for 4-5 minutes more over low-medium flame. This should evaporate the moisture content and firm the dough up.
The texture is not right:
Try not to over cook your mixture or else it can become chewy. Don't cook it over high heat as well. It can not only change the color of mixture from white to brown, but also make it taste burnt and take away from its texture.
How to Store this sweet?
You can certainly keep this sweet at room temperature for a few hours, but since this is a milk based dessert, I suggest storing any leftovers in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature before enjoying, if you like it that way. Or it tastes just as good straight away from the fridge too!
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Recipe
Burfi Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Bottomed Pan (non-stick preferably)
- 1 Baking Tin/Cake Tin (to set barfi)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 2 Cups Milk Powder/Dry Milk (Full Fat, I use Nestle)
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
- ⅓ Cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
For Topping and Decoration: (Optional but cute!)
- 1-2 Sliver Leaf (edible)
- 2-3 Tablespoons Slivered Pistachios/Almonds
- 1 teaspoon Saffron Strands
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of ghee/clarified butter and milk to a heavy bottomed pan (preferably non-stick) over low-medium heat. Slowly add 2 cups of milk powder in pan and keep stirring continuously to get rid of lumps.
- Once the milk powder is all mixed in, keep stirring over medium flame for about 10 minutes using a spatula and the milk will begin to thicken. This step will take about 10-12 minutes depending on your pan, pan size and the temperature you cook it on.
- Now turn the flame to low, add remaining ghee and keep stirring the thickened milk till it forms a soft dough. This should take another 5-6 minutes.
- Once a soft dough is formed, take pan off the flame and allow it to cool down. Once the dough cools down, test its consistency by rolling a small amount of dough in greased hands. If you are able to roll the dough and it doesn't stick to your hands, it is the right consistency.
- If the dough feels sticky to the touch, put it back in pan and place the pan over flame again. Continuously stir and cook again on low flame for 3-4 minutes.
- Do not add sugar to the dough, till you are able to form a ball out of it that doesn't stick to your hands. After your soft non-sticky dough has cooled down, add and mix cardamom powder and ⅓ cup of sugar to it.
- Let the dough rest for 4-5 minutes after mixing it. The mixture will dry out during this time and won't be sticky any longer.
- Now there are two ways to form barfi. One you can roll the dough between two parchment papers till it achieves ½-¾ of an inch thickness. Top with toppings, press them slightly and cut into squares/rectangles or shapes of choice.
- Or you can set barfi in a parchment lined cake tin (approximately 8x8 inches) and allow the dough to set in it. Top with nuts, sliver leaf and saffron and press the nuts into the dough slightly.
- Cover and place the tin in refrigerator to speed up the setting process. Invert the set barfi on a cutting board and cut into rectangles or desired shapes of choice using a sharp knife. Enjoy!
SONIA SEIVWRIGHT
This looks delicious and perfect for the festive season! Easy recipes make a huge difference when preparing for celebrations. I can almost smell the cardamom. Thanks for sharing this straightforward barfi recipe; I can’t wait to try it! Happy cooking!
Julie
Thanks for this awesome recipe for burfi. I have not tried it yet but my husband is a huge fan of fudge, as it brings back memories of his grandmother always serving her homemade fudge. I love the idea of the silver leaf!
Stephanie
I must say I have not heard of burfi before - so I had to try this recipe. Just delish! Will certainly add to my recipe box to make again.
Beth
I have to try this! I've had burfi a few times at restaurants, and I'd love to try making my own!