Kaju Katli

Ensure your cashews are completely dry and at room temperature.

Add the cashews to a dry spice grinder or food processor. I’ve used my Nutribullet for this step.

Pulse in short 2-second bursts, stopping to shake the bowl between pulses until a fine powder forms.

Never blend continuously, or the blades will heat up and turn the cashews into an oily paste.

Sift the ground cashews through a medium-mesh sieve into a mixing bowl.

Because cashew flour is naturally rich and slightly dense, it can be quite difficult to shake through the mesh on its own, use your fingers to gently rub and press the flour through the sieve. If the mesh feels too tight to force all the powder through, simply use your clean hands to work through the flour and feel for any unblended chunks.

This sifting and hand-checking process is primarily to catch any whole or large pieces of cashew that escaped the blades. Set aside, eat or discard those leftover coarse bits so you are left with a bowl of soft, lump-free cashew flour.

Before turning on the stove, lightly grease a large sheet of baking paper with ½ teaspoon of neutral oil, melted butter, or buttere ghee and set it aside on your work surface. Having your greased paper prepped and waiting is essential, as the warm cashew dough needs to be transferred off the heat immediately once cooked.

Pour the sugar and water into your Cuisinart ClickSmart non-stick pan over medium-low heat (a quality heavy-bottomed non-stick pan is essential here so the sugar and cashew paste cook evenly without sticking).

Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

Then allow the syrup to come to a gentle bubble for 2 minutes until slightly sticky (you do not need to wait for a strict one-string consistency).

Turn the stove down to its lowest heat setting immediately.

Pour in the prepared cashew flour and cardamom (elachi) powder.

Stir continuously with a silicone spatula, pressing out any small lumps against the base of the pan. Within 2-3 minutes, the mixture will hydrate into a thick, glossy paste.

Continue cooking and stirring constantly over low heat for 81-0 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan so it never browns. The mixture is ready when it pulls away from the pan as a unified mass. To be 100% sure, pinch a tiny pea-sized piece off the spatula, let it cool for 10 seconds, and roll it between greased fingers and if it forms a smooth, non-sticky ball that doesn’t cling to your skin, remove the pan from the heat immediately.

Transfer the hot cashew dough straight onto your prepared greased baking paper. Let it rest for 3-4 minutes until warm (not piping hot).

Fold the baking paper over the dough from side to side, pressing down gently with the heel of your hand for 1–2 minutes until the ball becomes satin-smooth, glossy, and crack-free.

After kneading, the cashew dough will transform into a completely smooth, glossy, and crack-free ball that is ready to be rolled out.

Place a second sheet of baking paper on top of the smooth dough (or fold the large sheet over it).

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly to a 4-5 mm (¼-inch) thickness, rotating the paper as you go for an even slab.

Peel off the top sheet of baking paper.

Gently press the edible silver leaf (varak) directly from its backing paper onto the warm slab, if using. I got mine off Amazon.

Let the slab cool uncovered for 15-20 minutes until firm to the touch. Place a clean ruler along the edge of the slab and use a sharp knife to make small notch marks 3 cm apart as a cutting guide for even slices.

Line the ruler up with your guide marks and run a lightly greased pizza wheel or sharp chef’s knife along the edge of the ruler to cut clean, straight vertical strips all the way down the slab.

Turn the ruler at a 45-degree diagonal angle across the vertical strips and slice through to form classic diamond-shaped Kaju Katli pieces.

Gently lift a diamond piece out from the cut slab using the tip of your knife or your fingers, the edges should be crisp and clean, and the slice should hold its shape firmly without sticking to the baking paper.

Separate the remaining diamonds and arrange them neatly on a serving platter or festive sweetmeat tray.

You can nibble on the small triangular edge trimmings right away as the chef’s treat!

Serve your homemade Kaju Katli immediately at room temperature and enjoy that silky, melt-in-the-mouth cashew texture, or pack them into an airtight container layered with baking paper for gifting and festive tables.

A piece up close will have you admiring the crisp, clean diamond edges, even thickness, and delicate shimmer of the edible silver leaf on top.

Break the piece in half to reveal that signature melt-in-the-mouth texture, the inside should be velvety, soft, and completely smooth with zero graininess or dry crumbs.