These are really my kind of treat. They remind me of those crunchy sesame bars packed with sugar & corn syrup that you find in all of the delis of NYC, but these laddu are much easier on your teeth (they are soft with a slight chewiness) and your blood sugar levels, AND they have the added richness of peanut and cardamom. I adapted the recipe from Xawaash, a Somali food blog written by a couple who now live in Canada.Their recipes and stories are full of lovely details that convey a deep love for their native country.
I adapted the recipe so that it contains no added sugar and requires no cooking.
Ingredients:
200 g Medjool Dates, pits removed
Method:
Toast the sesame seeds and cardamom in a small pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Let cool. Grind sesame seeds in food processor (pulsing) until they are a fine powder (do not over-grind, or they will become tahini paste!). Remove from food processor and set aside.
Place peanut butter & dates in the food processor and puree until smooth and homogeneous. Add the ground sesame seeds and pulse just until mixed in.
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Place the laddu mixture on top and squeeze into a squared ball. Place another sheet of plastic wrap on top, and use a rolling pin to roll the paste into a uniform 1/2-” thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and cut into desired shapes. The laddu can also be rolled into balls. My first batch came and went within a single day. Enjoy yours while they last!
Fruitcake Farmstand 
most definitely! This looks absolutely amazing 🙂 Thanks for sharing it!
I was wondering if you were on FB at all? We have an awesome community of food lovers and sharers, and it’d be great if you were to join us and share your recipe in our group! Check us out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OnlyGoodEats/
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I’m not on FB yet (need to do that!), but I’ll check out your group now…
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definitely check us out! Let me know when you join the group, would love for you to join our community 🙂
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I love the sound of this – such great flavours! Your diamond shapes are wonderful too 🙂
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Oh, thank you! I hope you get a chance to try the recipe!
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This might be the first time I’ve heard of Somalian food, but I’m super interested in it. This looks amazing.
For someone just getting into the cuisine, are there any other dishes I should look into?
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Hi Andrew,
Yeah, these are really delicious! Thanks for you interest! I actually am not too familiar with Somalian food; I only spent a week looking at the desserts of the seven countries named in the travel ban. I recommend checking out xawaash.com for many more recipes!
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