This Diwali ditch plain old barfis for a besan truffle or a bodacious bonbon; modern mithai lovers are looking to go beyond the milk and sugar hegemony of the traditional desserts. So, balanced, consciously designed fusion picks are trending big. The artisanal approach to dessert making clearly has a market and even when it comes to luxury desserts, buyers are looking for a versatile, contemporary finish and more balanced options so a post-8 pm laddoo doesn’t have to feel like a cheat meal.
Not to mention travel-friendly packaging, luxe customisable hampers, eco-minded production and pre-portioned, single-serve desserts are in high demand. If you’re looking to get creative with your Diwali mithai, here’s a helpful list to get you started.
Entisi
Luxury dessert brand Entisi’s hand-painted bonbons and chocolate cigars are ideal for gifting since they have a good shelf life. If you’re looking to stock up on dry or snackable treats go for the brand’s saffron-pistachio modaks, tiramisu dragees, marzipan or Gianduja pralines.
Entisi’s founder Nikki Thakker is a London School of Economics alum and has also trained with chocolatiers in Italy and Belgium. The brand only uses authentically sourced cacao from Ghana, Java, Madagascar and the Dominican Republic.
The artisanal label also relies on an organised, sustainable mode of production. Customers can also opt for Entisi’s elaborate festive hampers that start from Rs 1,700.
Order at entisi.com.
Gur Chini
Gur Chini adds interesting fusion elements to familiar Indian desserts; their charcoal ghewar, bubblegum barfi, Italian brut pistachio laddoos work well in assorted hampers.
If you’re looking for distance-friendly gift options consider the luxury ghewar hampers or the assorted dry laddu boxes that line up gulab gulkand and Syrian cashew varieties that travel well and have a longer shelf life.
The label’s new luxury glass boxes are topped with a sleek, oversized semi-precious agate quartz. Gur Chini steers clear of artificial sweeteners and only uses natural elements like stevia, manuka, garchia, deglet nour and medjool dates which makes their desserts a lot more conscious than most brands.
Shop at gurchini.com.
Scoopski
Kolkata-based label Scoopski is India’s first edible cookie dough brand and it recently introduced DIY ‘pizookie’ kits featuring a custom-made pizookie mould, a vanilla cookie dough, chocolate fudge, caramel sauce, choco-chips and sprinkles.
The brand of course offers pints of edible dough in flavours like Biscoff and Japanese Yuzu that work as a baking agent as well as a minimal effort snack. Scoopski’s gift boxes make for an ideal festive hamper that comes with a fun scrapbook/journal where you can jot recipes.
The edible cookie dough is made in small batches and only made from natural ingredients which make them healthier and more balanced in profile than traditional, sugary desserts.
Order at scoopski.in.
Kesar
Jaipur-based luxury mithai boutique Kesar delivers across the globe and offer efficient, distance-friendly packaging. But the brand is best known for its fusion gourmet curations like the Ferrero Rocher Laddoos, Khajoor and Oreo cake, blackcurrant barfi etc.
Their biggest festive seller is the rose petal laddoo which is as delicious as it is Instagrammable; they are made with rose syrup, edible dried rose petals, almond, cardamom and the best part is they have a shelf life of 45 days.
If you’re planning to go for luxury hampers, go for their exquisite boxes of mewa bites or luscious ghewar boxes and mithai cakes.
Order at shop.kesarsweetsjaipur.com
ITC
ITC’s Diwali collection lines up decadent options across Indian and modern designs. There’s the chef’s signature mithai collection featuring Besan Hazelnut laddoo and Naarangi Kaju peda and a line of artisanal fudge made with chocolate couverture, spices and dried fruits.
You can also find handcrafted pralines, desserts made with single-origin cacaos and fondue sets by Fabelle which work terrifically well as festive gifts.
Or you can go for ITC’s celebration cakes that are made of authentically sourced ingredients from all over the world like Guatemalan vanilla, Guanaja dark chocolate, Turkish saffrons, cream from Chantilly and fusion curations like a Gulab Jamun cheesecake or tiramisu gateau.
Call 0334446 4646 to place an order.
Khoya
The Bollywood-approved luxury mithai makers are designing the chicest artisanal desserts; their pink coconut laddoo looks good on your plate as well as your timeline.
Their hand-rolled barfis are gluten-free and made in small batches with natural ingredients while their caramelised milk cakes are made with classic Khoya. The brand also just introduced Kumaoni bal mithai which are pillowy fudge rolls made with roasted khoya and coated with white sugar balls.
Order at khoyamithai.com.
