Chocolate Burfi is one of the easiest, most amazing, kid friendly Diwali Sweets that I have ever made. Although I make Boondhi Laddoos, Badushah, Badam Halwa, and Kaju katli, the kids all time favourite is the Chocoalate Burfi,  the most simplest, most easiest sweet of all. Of course I have no doubts that this is because of a certain ingredient – Cocoa Powder with a capital C! I have tried different versions of it, as its mostly influenced by the Bournvita Burfi! I love the creaminess of the burfi, and sometimes I add tuitty fruity, or rice krispies just for the added crunch! This version is made by my friend Raji from Raks Kitchen and its my all time favourite too! The best thing that it uses the items available in your pantry at all times.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Maida / All Purpose Flour.

1/2 Cup minus 2 Tsp Ghee / Vanaspathi.

2 Cups Sugar.

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder.

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence.

1  Cup Water.

PREPARATION:

• Grease a tray/ springform cake pan/ stainless steel plate  and keep it ready. The entire sweet takes hardly 15 minutes from start to finish so its easier and prudent to keep all your ingredients ready.
• Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and add the measured ghee to it.  When its hot, add the all purpose flour/ maida and fry it briskly for a couple minutes. The maida soakes up the ghee and gets fried. Add the cocoa powder and mix. Set aside.

• In another heavy bottommed kadai, add the 2 cups of sugar and the 1 cup water. Keep boiling on medium flame until the sugar solution reaches SINGLE STRING consistency.
• This means that when you lift the ladle and allow the syrup to drop, it will drop to the kadai below in short strings. Another option is to slightly cool the index finger on an ice cube, and deftly swipe the back of the ladle for the syrup, and check the string between your index finger and the thumb. If a string forms, the syrup is done.
• Switch off the flame and add the fried chocolate maida and a few drops of vanilla essence(optional).
•  Stir for about 2-4 minutes and you will see that the mixture slowly thickens.

• When its resembles a soft chappathi dough, pour on to the greased spring form cake pan/ brownie pan/ stainless steel plate and smoothen with a ziploc cover as shown.
• Allow it to set for a couple minutes and then cut in to squares.

• Decorate with a cashew/ pista/ walnut.
• Easy Fudge Like Chocolate Burfi is ready!

HINTS:

1.  The same sweet can be made by making it completely Plain Vanilla or splitting it Half Chocoalte and Half Vanilla. One Halloween, I simply used orange food colour on the Plain Vanilla portion that made it look very festive over the brown chocolate layer.
2. Achieving single string consistency is very important as if you dont reach the right consistency, the burfi would never harden. In case that happens, simply put the whole batter on the gas for a couple more minutes and then transfer to the brownie pan.
3. If you go over the single string consistency, the batter solidifies very very fast. The best thing would be to see how the consistency of the dough is, and based on that to transfer to the plate.
4. Keep a timer to see what time it takes on your stove on a medium flame for this quantity of sugar solution to reach single string. If your burfi comes out perfect, note down the time taken and the setting on your stove for future use. We use single string consistency for so many sweets – Badushah, Boondhi Laddoo, Motichoor Laddoo, Kaju Katli etc.