Paleo Coconut & Cardamom Barfi

As a child Barfi was one of my favourite Indian desserts (alongside Jalebi & Kulfi).  I remember going to a little Indian shop and it had a deli counter toward the back, it was full of beautiful, brightly coloured snack sized dessert pieces, and they all smelled delicious.  Barfi is somewhere between a fudge and a coconut ice, but it isn’t too sickly and cloying as it is very fragrant, so much so that it takes your senses on a little (or big) adventure.  I hope that the cooking time for the condensed milk doesn’t put you off as this is so simple to make it hurts. Even if you overcook your condensed milk and the oils separate it is still okay to use!

Makes: 10 medium sized diamonds

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour (max)

Ingredients:

For the condensed milk:

1 tin/400ml coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tbsp coconut sugar

For the barfi:

100g dessicated coconut
2 tsp ground cardamom
The seeds of 3 cardamom pods (crushed)

Method:

1. In a small pan heat the coconut milk on a medium heat, whisking every now and then until it begins to boil.
2. Reduce to a very low heat and whisk in the maple syrup and coconut sugar. The mix will need to be whisked frequently until it fully reduces into a thick gloopy syrupy sauce.  This will take anywhere up to an hour. It will look a little something like this:
   

   Paleo condensed milk.

3. Combine the remaining ingredients for the barfi and mix with a wooden spoon until it turns into a lovely ball of sweet spiced loveliness.
4. Place the barfi mix into a food processor and blend for 5 minutes until the mix is fairly smooth.
5. Put the ingredients into a small lined/greased container and press down until evenly distributed and level.
6. Place in the fridge or freezer until set.
7. Cut lines diagonally across to create diamonds or just cut into squares.
8. Remove and serve! (Best served with a freshly brewed cup of coffee!)