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The festive season is just around the corner. Are you looking forward to making some unique, delicious, and easy sweets? If yes! then this unique and simple Butterscotch Paneer Barfi is just for you. With very few ingredients this barfi is ready well under 30 minutes.

It is delicious, creamy, slightly grainy, and just melts in your mouth. But the highlight of this barfi is the little but beautiful crunch that comes from the butterscotch brittles or crunch on top of the barfi. Those little crunches take you by surprise and draw you to eat more.

Be it the upcoming festival season or any other special occasion or just something you want to surprise your guests with, this Butterscotch Paneer Barfi will definitely be a talk of the event.

Quick and easy to make with few simple ingredients this barfi will be ready in a jiffy and you can make it few days in advance.

I love making this Butterscotch Paneer barfi with homemade Paneer but you can always use store-bought Paneer to make it and it tastes equally good. I will give details below on how to use store-bought Paneer to make this barfi.

What is Paneer that is used in Butterscotch Paneer barfi?

Paneer is an Indian name for what is commonly known as cottage cheese. Paneer is also referred to as Indian cheese and made from curdled milk. It is made by adding Lemon juice or cooking vinegar to hot boiled milk.

Homemade paneer is soft and fresh and of perfect texture to make these beautiful Butterscotch Paneer Barfi.

What are butterscotch brittle?

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery made with sugar and butter with maybe the addition of nuts if required.

Brittle can also be synonymous with the Indian chikki. Made with caramelized sugar, butter, and few nuts like cashews, almonds, and pistachios they are crunchy and delicious.

The sugar is melted and slightly caramelized, and room temperature butter is added to the caramelized sugar and stirred in. Once the mixture froths up and is well mixed it is poured over parchment paper covered with some nuts like cashews.

Why do you knead the paneer?

Kneading the paneer breaks down the particles and softens the paneer further. It helps in enhancing the texture of the Butterscotch Paneer Barfi. When the paneer softens and forms a smooth dough it will result in fewer cracks in the final barfi.

Also, we want the barfi to have a smoother texture than the other paneer-based sweets like kalakand which is much more grainy.

How to soften the store bought paneer?

If you are using the store-bought paneer for Butterscotch Paneer Barfi it is very important to soften it first so that it yields perfect results.

Soak the store-bought paneer in hot water for about 20 minutes.

Check after 20 minutes and if it has softened get it out of the water and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Grate the paneer and then knead it into a soft smooth dough.

Step by step instruction for Butterscotch Paneer Barfi

Grease a plate or pan with ghee or line it with parchment paper and set it aside for later.

Grate or crumble the paneer.

Crush the butterscotch brittle and set it aside for later. You can either make the brittle at home or use the store-bought cashew chikki.

Take a big plate or a flat work surface and pour the paneer onto it.

Using the heel of your palm start kneading the paneer. Keep doing this till the paneer loses its grainy texture. This step is very important for the final smooth texture of the butterscotch paneer barfi.

When you use the heel of your palm to knead the paneer the bigger chunks break down and gradually become smooth. This will take about 5 minutes.

Once all the chunks are properly kneaded roll the paneer into a ball to check if it cracks.

On the smooth paneer, ball add the milk powder and sugar, and using either a spatula or your hand mix it all together till everything is well incorporated.

Heat a pan in medium heat and add ghee to it.

Once the ghee is warm add the paneer mixture to it and start stirring. Once you start stirring the paneer mixture and ghee will start getting incorporated.

Keep stirring to cook the mixture and be careful that it doesn't stick to the bottom. After stirring for about 5 minutes the paneer will start leaving the excess water. At this stage, the mixture will look too smooth and runny, don't worry it all come together in some time.

Continue stirring till the water dries out and the ghee starts separating. The mixture will thicken and become sticky. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.

At this stage add the butterscotch essence/extract and mix everything together. This is very important for the flavoring of Butterscotch Paneer Barfi.

Turn the heat off and transfer the mixture to the greased pan. using parchment paper or a greased spatula spread the mixture into a ¼ inch thick layer.

Let it cool for another 15 minutes and then put it in the refrigerator to chill.

Once it is refrigerated enough to cool down completely or after 30 minutes get the pan out and cut the barfi in pieces. Add the crushed butterscotch brittle on the top and serve fresh or store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

The Butterscotch Paneer Barfi will stay good in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Some FAQ's or key things regarding Butterscotch Paneer Barfi

Why do we use milk powder or milk mawa in this recipe?

Milk powder helps absorb the excess moisture from paneer. It helps with the binding of the barfi making it strong and smooth. Milk powder also enhances the flavor of the barfi and makes it more rich and creamy.

How to make Butterscotch Brittle for the Butterscotch Paneer Barfi?

Take 1 teaspoon water and ¼ cup of sugar in a saucepan and set it on medium heat. Let the sugar melt slowly. keep shaking the pan at intervals so that there is even caramelization.

once the sugar melts and caramelizes turning light golden brown add a teaspoon of room temperature unsalted butter and stir it in using a spatula.

The mixture will froth and combine together. Turn off the heat and pour the caramel sugar on parchment paper.

Let it cool down for 10 to 15 minutes.

Do you like making sweets? Check out some of my other exciting recipes

Kaju Katli

Besan Ladoo

Mawa Barfi

Sweet Corn Basundi

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?

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