Have you been spending thousands of rupees every month on granola bars and the so-called ‘healthy snack bars’? Are you looking for a replacement that is much healthier?

I have put together a list of quick recipes using the simplest ingredients available in Goa or most parts of India to satisfy your cravings. These easy-to-prepare snacks are healthy and can be prepared in under an hour. They can be stored in airtight containers and last for about a fortnight easily.

They can be customized to suit your tastes. These Chikki recipes are ideal if you are looking to stack your office snack box. They are non-messy and perfect to store at home so that your children can choose healthier options instead of cakes and biscuits.

Healthy Peanut Chikki with Jaggery

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup jaggery
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp butter/ghee
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Steps

1. Roast, peel and halve peanuts and keep aside in a glass bowl.
2. Grease a plate with butter/ghee and keep butter paper handy if possible.
3. Add jaggery to a thick-bottom pan with the water and cardamom and simmer until the jaggery melts.
4. Keep a bowl of water nearby and keep dropping a drop of jaggery every 30-45secs. It needs to reach a ‘hard-ball stage’ which means it turns into a hardball in the water and settles at the bottom of the bowl. Act fast because the hardball stage is 30 seconds before the burnt jaggery stage.
5. Strain the syrup (ideally to remove any impurities) over the nuts. Use butter paper and a rolling pin to smoothen the mix on the greased plate. Cut into the desired shape while still hot.

Healthy Ginger Almond Chikki

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted and chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup jaggery
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp grated and roasted coconut

Steps

1. Grease a plate with butter/ghee and keep butter paper handy if possible.
2. Add jaggery to a thick-bottom pan with the water and simmer until the jaggery melts.
3. Keep a bowl of water nearby and keep dropping a drop of jaggery every 30-45secs. It needs to reach a ‘hard-ball stage’ which means it turns into a hardball in the water and settles at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Add the ginger followed by almonds, sesame, and coconut.
5. Pour the hot mixture over a wooden cutting board. Wet the rolling pin with a bit of water to prevent the candy from sticking to it. Cut into desired shapes and sizes. Store in an airtight container.

Nutty Honey Jaggery Chikki

Ingredients

• 1 cup filled to the brim with nuts of your choice ( chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds &/or pistachios). Roast the nuts separately and keep ready
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup jaggery
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds/cinnamon bark powdered

Steps

1. Make sure you roast the nuts separately because each of them has a different roasting time
2. In a thick-bottomed pan combine the honey, jaggery, and water. Let it simmer
3. Keep a bowl of ice-cold water nearby and drop in the syrup. Switch off the gas when this syrup drops form rigid strands in the ice-cold water.
4. Add the butter and cardamom/cinnamon powder to this mixture.
5. Place it on the heat again, and test the syrup in the ice-cold water after 30 seconds or so.
6. Take it off the heat when the syrup forms hard and brittle threads in the ice water.
7. Add the chopped and roasted nuts
8. Pour the hot mixture over a wooden cutting board. Wet the rolling pin with a bit of water to prevent the candy from sticking to it. Cut into desired shapes and sizes. Store in an airtight container.