Celebrations in India are incomplete without dessert. Sweets are the highlight of every festive occasion. With Navratri 2019 and Dusshera 2019 over, the country is now gearing up for Diwali 2019 aka Deepavali. The festival of lights is brought in amid great enthusiasm and fanfare. Snacks and sweets of various kinds are prepared to welcome Goddess Lakshmi into homes. Thus, we bring you, our simplest Diwali Indian sweets recipes to make the most of this festive season.

Kheer is irreplaceable. But what if we tell you you can bake it and make it? Read the recipe here:

Ingredients: 500 ml of milk, 100 gms of crumbled cottage cheese, 3 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon milk cheese, powder sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, chopped pistachios

1) In a stock pan, boil milk and reduce it to low heat.
2) In another pan, melt crumbled cottage cheese, add 2 tablespoon sugar with some water. Cook on low flame for some time.
3) Once the milk has reduced, add cottage cheese mixture to it.
4) Add milk cheese, cardamom powder, 1 tablespoon sugar and mix well.
5) Pour the mixture in a ramekin bowl, and bake in a water bath for 180-degree celsius for 40-50 minutes.
6) Sprinkle sugar on the kheer and bake for a couple of minutes more
7)Refrigerate for 4-5 hours. Garnish with chopped pistachios

Catch Chenna Kheer recipe by Chef Pankaj Bhadouria here:

Saunfiya Phirni is a mouthwatering mixture using rice and garnished with rose! Read the steps to make it below:

Ingredients: 1-litre milk, 1/2 cup broken rice, 1 teaspoon fennel powder, 3 tablespoon sugar, finely chopped pistachios, rose petals

Method: 1) In a stock bowl, warm milk and add a paste of soaked broken rice.

2) Add fennel powder and keep stirring till rice is cooked.

3) While stirring, add sugar and let it cook.

4) Pour the Phirni into an earthen bowl. Sprinkle finely chopped pistachios and garnish with rose petals.

5) Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Watch Chef Pankaj Bhadouria prepare Saunfiya Phirni here:

When speaking of sweets, Bengali sweets are some of the best ones you will ever try! Scroll on to read Sanjeev Kapoor’s Rose Sandesh recipe…the name is only so beautiful!

Ingredients: Milk 2 litres, rose water a few drops, whey (to curdle the milk) 1 cup, sugar substitute sucralose 1 cup, pistachios blanched 15-20

Method: 1) Boil cow’s milk in a deep pan.
2) Simmer the flame to low, keep stirring till the milk curdles completely.
3) Strain it through a muslin cloth and immediately place the muslin potli on ice to stop the cooking process.
4) Squeeze to remove the excess moisture.
5) Remove chenna into a plate and mash it with palms till soft. Add a sugar substitute and mash again. Now add rose water.
6) Divide into equal portions and make small balls. Garnish with pistachio and serve.

To know more, watch the recipe here:

Rasgullas – the name is enough to tease the taste buds! How about a mango twist to your favourite dessert? Read on for more…

Ingredients: Small rasgullas 18-20, mango small cubes 1 medium, saffron (kesar) 7-8 strands, hung yogurt 2 cups, sugar ¾ cup, fresh cream 3 tablespoons, green cardamom powder ½ teaspoon, pistachios blanched peeled and slivered 3-4

Method: 1) Take mango cubes, add saffron and blend it all together. Add the hung yogurt, sugar and cream and blend till smooth.
2) Add green cardamom powder and blend.
3) In a glass, place one or two small rasgullas. Now pour mango mixture over them.
4) Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve chilled.

Know more about the recipe in this video:

Karanjis are quintessential to Diwali! Enjoy a twist to the lip-smacking savoury here:

Ingredients: Refined flour 1 1/2 cups, cocoa powder, pure ghee 3 tablespoons, oil to deep fry, for stuffing mawa (khoya) 3/4 cup, powdered sugar 1/2 cup, walnuts chopped 1/4 cup, almonds chopped 1/4 cup, cocoa powder 2 tablespoons, fresh cream 1/4 cup.

Method: 1) In a bowl take refined flour, add ghee and chilled water/milk to knead it into a soft dough.  Divide into small balls.
2) Make a mixture of mawa, powdered sugar, walnuts, almonds and cocoa powder in a bowl. Add some cream and mix. This is for the stuffing.
3) Refrigerate the stuffing for 10 minutes. Make the dough balls into small puris. Place it on the worktop, dampen its edges.
4) Put some stuffing in the centre and fold one side over the other. Press the edges to seal and then twist them with your fingertips so that it looks fancy and decorative. You can make karanjis using a mould too.
5) Heat oil in a pan, deep fry the karanjis till they turn light brown. Drain and place them on absorbent paper to remove the excess oil.
6) Store the karanjis in an air-tight container.

Watch Chef Sanjeev Kapoor make choco-nut karanjis here: