Aate ki Pinni or Aata Ladoos is a traditional Punjabi winter delicacy made with wheat flour, ghee, sugar, and lots of dry fruits.
This is one of the most popular must-have sweet dishes for winter. The good thing about these aate ki pinnis are that you can enjoy them any time of the year.
Attending food festivals and expos introduces you to exotic ingredients and techniques.
Table of contents
Have a pinni with a glass of milk (or tea) and roasted makhanas for breakfast, and you will be energetic and satiated for hours.
With just a handful of simple ingredients and 1 hour of your effective time, you get a big batch of this undeniably delectable Atta Pinni.
Not only during winters, these pinnis are also wonderful to make as a sweet dish during the festivals of Diwali, Holi, or Lohri. Plus, these aata pinnis have a good shelf life, so they also make a lovely holiday gift for those you care about.
So are you ready to make these pinnis?
About this dish Aate Ki Pinni:
This traditional Punjabi sweet dish atta pinni or aate ke ladoo is a wheat flour, dry fruits, and ghee laden mithai which will nourish your body and soul.
It is either sweetened with powdered sugar, desi khand (muscovado sugar/unrefined cane sugar), or jaggery. No matter how you choose to sweeten this wholesome sweet dish, this would do its job to keep you warm and energized during the harsh winter months.
These Aate ki Pinnis have everything you’ll need on a cool winter day. They are sweet, rich, succulent, keep you full for hours, have a nutty and crunchy texture, and have melt-in-mouth aromatic flavor at the same time.
Mmmm, can you feel that exotic taste of elegant pinnis in your mouth? I guess it is hard to imagine those many flavors and textures if you haven’t tasted the dish. Some things are only understood when experienced.
So to taste the exact same taste and have the same feel, you will have to make it yourself.
For us Indians, Pinnis or laddus = mother’s love. Every mother makes laddos or pinnis for the kids. And when the kids grow up and they are away from home, they make sure to prepare a big batch of pinnis and send them to their children. No matter how old you are, mom’s homemade pinnis are always so precious and super indulgent sweets to relish.
Pinnis and laddus are loved by everyone in my family! We love to enjoy them as a filler breakfast, or as an evening snack.
Winter pinnis or laddos are either made with wheat flour or ground urad dal, and sometimes it is even made with ground moong dal. My mom often used to make moong dal ladoo and besan ladoo during the winter season and I just loved them.
These pinnis are really mouth-watering and addictive, and once you’ve tasted a bite, you would want to eat more and more. Since this atta pinni is really rich, packed with ghee and dry fruits it is advised to have them in moderation.
For me, 1-2 pinnis in a day is enough. If I consume more than that amount, it is heavy on my stomach and causes bloating. So find what works for you, and enjoy this winter exquisiteness.
**Other laddus you might also want to try are: **
What is Aate Ki Pinni?
Aata Pinni or Aate ki Pinni is also known by other names such as wheat flour pinni, atta pinni, or atta ladoos. Here atta means wheat flour and pinni is a Punjabi name for an oblong or sphere-shaped sweet dish.
So atte ki pinni is an unadulterated translation of a sweet dish made with wheat flour. Pinnis have a base ingredient such as flour, a sweetener, lots of ghee and dry fruits.
In North India, Pinnis (laddus), makki ki roti and Sarson ka saag, peanut chikki, til chikki, and til laddu, til burfi, and dal vadas are essential winter foods.
This Aate Ki Pinni
✔ is super simple and easy to make
✔ healthy, wholesome, delicious
✔ is so rich in nutrients
✔ keeps you energetic and satiated for hours
✔ keeps your body warm during cold months
✔ can also be made vegan & gluten-free
✔ is loaded with fiber and nutrients
Ingredients to make Punjabi Aate Ki Pinni
This Punjabi atte ki pinni is made with a handful of ingredients which are always available in every kitchen. The ingredients you will need to make atta pinni are as follows:
Wheat Flour: It is the star ingredient of this pinni recipe. Traditionally, freshly milled coarse wheat flour (mota gehun ka atta) is used in this recipe. You can use any type of wheat flour you’ve at hand.
Ghee: It is another main ingredient of this aate ki pinni recipe. Pinnis have lots and lots of ghee, and you get all the aromatic flavor because of the ghee. So make sure that you use the best quality ghee here. For me, homemade ghee is always the best.
Edible Gum: Gond or edible gum adds a nice crunch to the soft and melt-in-mouth texture of the pinnis. Gond doesn’t only taste good, it also has many health benefits. According to Ayurveda, gond boosts stamina and overall health.
It also helps in boosting immunity, reduces joint pain as it works as a joint lubricator.
Nuts & Dry Fruits: In this recipe, I have used almonds, cashews, raisins, and melon seeds. You can also add walnuts and pistachios if you like.
Flavor: I have used a combination of cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and black pepper powder. These all enhance the overall taste and wholesomeness of this aate ki pinni.
How to make Atte Ki Pinni
Aate ki pinni is simple and easy, but it takes a little time. But trust me, all the effort is worth it when you take a bite of this soft and delicious pinni.
This is how you can make aate ki pinni at home in 6 quick and simple steps:
Step 1: Fry edible gum and dry fruits in ghee.
Step 2: Crush fried edible gum and fried nuts.
Step 3: Roast wheat flour in ghee until golden.
Step 4: Once the wheat flour mixture is cooled, add crushed edible gum, crushed nuts, sugar, cardamom, dry ginger powder and black pepper powder.
Step 5: Mix everything well and make pinnis.
Step 6: Decorate each pinni with almond, cashew nuts, or pistachio. Enjoy!
Detailed instructions on how to make Aate Ki Pinni are included in the recipe card on this page.
Storage:
Atte ki pinni are made with ghee, thus they have a long shelf life. You can store them in an air-tight container in a cool & dry place. They stay fresh for up to a month at room temperature.
Aata Pinni Variations
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Sweetener: I have used powdered sugar in this pinni recipe. If you want to make it healthier then use either jaggery powder or khand (unrefined cane sugar). When adding jaggery, you will double the amount.
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Flour: Other flours you can make for making pinnis are urad dal flour, moong dal flour, gram flour (besan), or bajra aata (millet flour).
Tips & Tricks to make the best Aate Ki Pinni Recipe
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For best results, if possible use mota gehu ka atta (coarsely ground wheat flour) which is freshly milled. You can also add a little bit of millet flour, or gram flour to the wheat flour.
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Powdered sugar: If you don’t have powdered sugar, then you can make it at home by grinding sugar in a grinder jar.
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Spices: I have used a combination of dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder. They both add a slightly spicy flavor to these pinnis. Adding these spices is completely optional.
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Shape the pinnis as soon as the dough is ready. If the dough gets cold it would start drying out and making pinnis would be a tough job that way. If for some reason your dough is hardened then, you can pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or heat it in a pan on low heat until the mixture is warm and ghee starts melting.
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Make sure not to add gond powder and sugar powder to the roasted flour mixture when it is hot, or else the mixture would crystalize, and that way you won’t be able to shape it properly.
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Ghee: It is the main ingredient of this recipe. Thus, make sure that you use good quality organic or homemade ghee here. Also, do not reduce the amount of ghee here, else it would become harder to shape pinnis. Since there is no other liquid in this recipe, ghee also works as a binder here.
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Stirring: Always stir the wheat flour mixture on low heat and stir it continuously to get an evenly roasted mixture.
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Use a heavy-bottomed pan for roasting nuts and wheat flour. The thick bottomed pan prevents the mixture from sticking to the bottom and getting burned.
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If it is hard for you to make pinnis or the mixture looks crumbly, then you can add 2-3 tablespoons of melted ghee and mix until combined.
FAQ’s
Can you store Aate Ki Pinnis?
Yes, these pinnis have a good shelf life. They stay fresh at room temperature for about a month when stored in an air-tight container (or steel dabba).
How to make vegan atte ki pinni?
These pinnis are not vegan because they are loaded with ghee. If you want to make them vegan, then replace ghee with coconut oil. You can also use grass-fed vegan ghee or coconut ghee.
Can I make gluten-free aata pinni?
Yes, you can surely make gluten-free aate ki pinnis. To make these pinnis gluten-free, you can either use gram flour, or you can use gluten-free chakki atta (gluten-free wheat flour).
Aate Ki Pinni (Step-by-step photo instructions)
Frying the Nuts & Gond (Edible Gum)
- Heat about 1/4 cup of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Once the ghee is slightly hot, add 50 grams of edible gum to the pan and fry on medium-low heat until all the crystals puff up and turn crisp.
- Remove the puffed-up crystals using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate. You don't need to use a kitchen tissue. The ghee in fried gond would add a nice flavor to the pinnis (ladoos). To the same pan, add the rest of the edible gum and fry. Once puffed up, remove them using a slotted spoon and transfer them to the same plate. Keep it aside to cool completely.
- To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of ghee and heat over medium-low heat. Once the ghee is hot, add almonds and fry them until they turn aromatic and crunchy. Don't worry about the foam, it is because we have fried edible gum in the same pan. It will disappear after cooling. Remove the fried almonds and transfer them to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- After that, add cashews to the pan and fry until cashews change their color slightly and turn crunchy. Transfer the cashews to a bowl and keep them aside to cool.
- Now, add raisins and melon seeds to the pan, and fry them until the raisins puff up and melon seeds slightly crack. Drain fried raisins and melon seeds mix using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate. Keep them also aside to cool.
Roasting Wheat Flour
- Add the rest of the ghee to a pan. Then add wheat flour slowly and stir well until combined and all the ghee is absorbed by wheat flour. Roast on low heat until the wheat flour changes slightly light brown. Roasting takes about 40-45 minutes, so you need to be patient. Stir it continuously for even roasting, it also prevents the mixture from burning. At this point, the mixture would also turn grainy and it would also start oozing with the ghee. The fried wheat mixture tends to become very hot, so do not tempt to touch it.
- At this point, turn off the heat and carefully transfer the wheat flour to a large mixing bowl. Let it cool at room temperature. It will take about 30-35 minutes to cool. To speed up the cooling process, just mix it at regular intervals.
Making Pinni (Ladoo) Mixture
- Meanwhile, for making coarse gond (edible gum) powder, either press the fried gond (edible gum) with the back of a flat bowl bottomed bowl or crush it using a mortar and pestle until you get a coarse mixture. Alternatively, you can also pulse it in an electric grinder over high speed. Keep it aside.
- Add fried almonds and fried cashews to a grinding jar and grind it coarsely. Keep this aside.
- Once the wheat flour mixture comes to room temperature (or is slightly warm), add coarse gond powder, nuts powder, raisins, melon seeds, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder.
- Mix it slightly, and then add powdered sugar to the same bowl. Keep mixing until everything is well combined.
Shaping Pinni
- When comfortable enough to touch, take a handful of the pinni mixture in hand and roll it to make a smooth ball (laddo), or make a traditional pinni shape by pressing the mixture between the fist to achieve an oblong-shaped pinni (see the video for a clear picture). Don't try the smoothen it out, uneven surfaced pinnis that have finger imprints on them are considered the best. Keep making pinnis (laddos) until all the mixture is used up.
- Stick each pinni either with almond, cashew or pistachio just by pressing it lightly on the pinni. This is just for decoration, so you can completely skip this step.
Storing
- When all the pinnis are ready, place them in an air-tight container and store them in a cool dry place.
Recipe Card
Aate Ki Pinni [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 6 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hours 10 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Desserts | Indian | 30 Pinnis or Ladoos |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 175 calories | 1 |
INGREDIENTS
For Aate Ki Pinni
- 500 grams atta (wheat flour)
- 375 grams ghee (clarified butter)
- 100 grams gond (edible gum), optional
- 100 grams almonds (badam)
- 100 grams cashews (kaju)
- 50 grams melon seeds (magaj)
- 50 grams raisins (kishmish)
- 350 grams powdered sugar (or as per taste)
- 1 tablespoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder (sonth powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder)
Equipments
- Large heavy-bottomed pan
- Mixing bowl or a large plate
- A spatula & a slotted spoon
- A flat bowl or mortar and pestle
- Air-tight container
INSTRUCTIONS:
Frying the Nuts & Gond (Edible Gum)
- Heat about 1/4 cup of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Once the ghee is slightly hot, add 50 grams of edible gum to the pan and fry on medium-low heat until all the crystals puff up and turn crisp.
- Remove the puffed-up crystals using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate. You don't need to use a kitchen tissue. The ghee in fried gond would add a nice flavor to the pinnis (ladoos). To the same pan, add the rest of the edible gum and fry. Once puffed up, remove them using a slotted spoon and transfer them to the same plate. Keep it aside to cool completely.
- To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of ghee and heat over medium-low heat. Once the ghee is hot, add almonds and fry them until they turn aromatic and crunchy. Don't worry about the foam, it is because we have fried edible gum in the same pan. It will disappear after cooling. Remove the fried almonds and transfer them to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- After that, add cashews to the pan and fry until cashews change their color slightly and turn crunchy. Transfer the cashews to a bowl and keep them aside to cool.
- Now, add raisins and melon seeds to the pan, and fry them until the raisins puff up and melon seeds slightly crack. Drain fried raisins and melon seeds mix using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate. Keep them also aside to cool.
Roasting Wheat Flour
- Add the rest of the ghee to a pan. Then add wheat flour slowly and stir well until combined and all the ghee is absorbed by wheat flour. Roast on low heat until the wheat flour changes slightly light brown. Roasting takes about 40-45 minutes, so you need to be patient. Stir it continuously for even roasting, it also prevents the mixture from burning. At this point, the mixture would also turn grainy and it would also start oozing with the ghee. The fried wheat mixture tends to become very hot, so do not tempt to touch it.
- At this point, turn off the heat and carefully transfer the wheat flour to a large mixing bowl. Let it cool at room temperature. It will take about 30-35 minutes to cool. To speed up the cooling process, just mix it at regular intervals.
Making Pinni (Ladoo) Mixture
- Meanwhile, for making coarse gond (edible gum) powder, either press the fried gond (edible gum) with the back of a flat bowl bottomed bowl or crush it using a mortar and pestle until you get a coarse mixture. Alternatively, you can also pulse it in an electric grinder over high speed. Keep it aside.
- Add fried almonds and fried cashews to a grinding jar and grind it coarsely. Keep this aside.
- Once the wheat flour mixture comes to room temperature (or is slightly warm), add coarse gond powder, nuts powder, raisins, melon seeds, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder.
- Mix it slightly, and then add powdered sugar to the same bowl. Keep mixing until everything is well combined.
Shaping Pinni
- When comfortable enough to touch, take a handful of the pinni mixture in hand and roll it to make a smooth ball (laddo), or make a traditional pinni shape by pressing the mixture between the fist to achieve an oblong-shaped pinni (see the video for a clear picture). Don't try the smoothen it out, uneven surfaced pinnis that have finger imprints on them are considered the best. Keep making pinnis (laddos) until all the mixture is used up.
- Stick each pinni either with almond, cashew or pistachio just by pressing it lightly on the pinni. This is just for decoration, so you can completely skip this step.
Storing
- When all the pinnis are ready, place them in an air-tight container and store them in a cool dry place.
WATCH RECIPE VIDEO: Click the play button and video will load ...
NOTES:
- For best results, if possible use mota gehu ka atta (coarsely ground wheat flour) which is freshly milled. You can also add a little bit of millet flour, or gram flour to the wheat flour.
- Powdered sugar: If you don't have powdered sugar, then you can make it at home by grinding sugar in a grinder jar.
- Spices: I have used a combination of dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder. They both add a slightly spicy flavor to these pinnis. Adding these spices is completely optional.
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Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/aate-ki-pinni/