Apricot n Dates Laddoo .. NO Sugar Energy treat

Everyone loves LADDOOS... Its adorable in all its forms like Rava Laddoo, Besan Laddoo or the most widely eaten Boondi Laddoo.. I even liked those Atta laddoos mom used to prepare in winters with a pinch of Ginger powder in it.. Anyways, it was then and now we hardly eat laddoos without any special occasion or festival. For the past few times, I have tried Ragi laddoo, oats laddoo and soya laddoo too. Will post the recipes once make them again with pics. But this time, I thought of making it totally sugar free.. Anticipated the options for natural sugars and got many .. Combined a few of them and am soo happy I did.. Its one of the best laddoo I have ever had and that too soo guilt free.. Such a powerhouse of energy with no empty calories.

Good To know:
Apricots are a very good source of Fiber, Beta Carotene, Iron, Calcium and Vitamin C. Its a low calorie fruit which is high in proteins too. It aids in constipation, skin disorders, anemia and even cancer. Same goes with Dates too. This superfood is a staple in many countries. Being rich in dietary fiber, potassium, carbs and minerals. It is said that consumption of one date daily is necessary for a balanced and healthy diet. Dates help in fighting constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness, diarrhea and abdominal cancer. 
I have also used Flax seeds and sesame in this recipe to increase the Omega-3 content .So.. what are you waiting for.. With all the healthy ingredients, this laddoo ( yes, its still a laddoo ) gives such satisfying emotion to taste buds and belly buds too :P ..

Ingredients:
1. 2 cups rolled oats
2. 1 cup besan ( chickpea flour )
3. 5-6 dried apricots.
4. 8-10 dates, chopped and soaked in 2 tsp warm milk
5. 1/4 cup flax seeds
6. 2 tsp Sesame seeds
7. 1/2 nuts ( I only had cashews today, any other nut can be used )
8. 1/2 cup peanuts, roasted and skinned
9. 1/2 cup raisins
10. 1 tsp cardamom powder
11. 1 tsp of ghee/ butter

Method:
1. Melt ghee in a pan and roast Besan till it turns light brown. Keep aside
2. Roast Oats in the same pan without adding more ghee. Combine with roasted besan in the same bowl.
3. Roast sesame seeds in the same pan for a minute on low flame. Do not burn it. Mix with the above ingredients.
4. In another bowl, fold together, Nuts, cardamom powder, flax seeds, Roasted peanuts.
5. Take a third bowl and mix together Dates, apricots and raisins.
6. Now, in a grinder first grind the Oats-Besan mix to a course powder.
7. Add the second bowl ingredients into it and grind again for 1-2 minutes. It will get a bit lumpy as nuts release oil while grinding.
8. In a separate jar, blend the Dates-Apricots mix and blend well for 2-3 minutes. It will be a bit sticky by the end.
9. Mix the ground powder into this paste and blend again for 1-2 minutes. Take out on a plate and roll into round Laddoo shape. Raisin and Dates will help in binding well.
10. These can be refrigerated in an Air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Warm it for 10 seconds in Microwave before serving.

I was a bit hesitant for addition of Apricots in this recipe. For dates, I have tried them before but never Apricots. You can even increase the quantity to 8-10 Apricots. Also, you can increase ghee while roasting oats and besan for a rich taste..

These laddoos roll to Kalyanis Indian Mithayi Mela :

and Mymoonah's Iftar Moments Hijri :

Also to Roha's What's cooking for Iftar :

Deepthi's Healthy Snack Event :

Jabeen's Iftar Nights :