Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Pinni
Pinni (Bonbons)

Pinni

Bonbons
VegetarianOrigin PunjabPrep 30 minutesCook 15 minutesMakes 20

These traditional Punjabi sweets are rich, buttery confections made from toasted flour and caramelized milk solids studded with dried fruit and nuts. They offer a fragrant, crumbly texture with a deeply nutty and sweet flavour.

Ingredients

01
Ghee
250 g
oil/fat
02
Whole wheat flour · Atta
280 g
flour
03
Milk solids · KhoyacrumbledMake it: Khoya →
403 g2 cups
dairy
04
Granulated sugar · Cheeni
300 g
sweetener
05
Raisin · Kishmish
8–10 g15–20 raisins
fruit
06
Pistachio nut · Pistablanched and slivered
6 g10 kernels
nut/seed
07
Almond · Badamblanched
12 g10 almonds
nut/seed

Method

  1. Warm 250 g ghee in a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Stir in 280 g flour and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until lightly browned, then take the pan off the heat.
  2. In a separate pan, toast 2 cups crumbled khoya without oil, stirring continuously for 5 to 7 minutes until pale golden.
  3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the toasted flour mixture. Thoroughly mix in 300 g granulated sugar, 15 raisins, 10 blanched and slivered nuts, and 10 blanched almonds.
  4. While the mixture is still warm, compress and roll it between your palms into 20 smooth round balls.

Don't have something?

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Whole wheat flour
  • Wholemeal flour

    Use the same weight; it is very close, but add water slowly as it can be coarser and absorb more.

  • Plain flour

    Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the dough is softer and the flavour less nutty.

  • Flour

    Use the same weight as a plain-flour swap; reduce water slightly and expect a lighter, less wheaty result.

Khoya
  • Whole milk

    Use 4 times the weight of milk; simmer and stir continuously in a wide heavy pan until reduced to a dense, fudgy paste.

  • Paneer

    Use equal weight of finely crumbled or grated paneer mixed with 15% single cream; gives similar body but a less caramelised, milk-solid flavour.

  • Single cream

    Simmer gently until heavily reduced, or stir in directly at 70% weight; produces rich gravies without the granular bite of khoya.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Raisin
  • Dried plum

    Use equal weight, pitted and finely chopped. Lends a deeper, slightly more tart sweetness to curries and rice dishes.

  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Fry lightly in ghee until golden; substitutes the burst of sweetness with a rich, buttery crunch.

  • Jaggery

    Use 30% of the weight, finely grated. Dissolve straight into the sauce to match the intended sweetness, though without the fruity chew.

Pistachio nut
  • Pistachio

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel for a bright paste. This is the closest match.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel. It is firmer, so grind a little longer and add a drop of milk if needed.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; soak in hot water for 15 minutes. It is softer and sweeter, so reduce sugar slightly.

Almond
  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Soak in warm water and grind to a paste or fry identically; yields a slightly creamier and sweeter sauce.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use equal weight. Lightly roast, skin, and grind; introduces a heavier body and a pronounced roasted-nut aroma.

Similar dishes

Lachha Paratha
Coiled Paratha
Lachha Paratha tastes savory, crisp, and flaky, while this dish tastes sweet, nutty, and crumbly.
  • Same: Lachha Paratha shares whole wheat flour and ghee with this dish.
  • Different: It uses salt rather than sugar, khoya, raisins, pistachios, or almonds, and its dough is pleated, coiled, and cooked on a griddle, while this dish is a sweet made from toasted flour and milk solids.
Girda
Kashmiri Fermented Bread
Girda is softly puffed with a slightly tangy interior and crisp poppy-seeded crust, while this dish is rich, buttery, crumbly, nutty, and sweet.
  • Same: Girda shares whole wheat flour, ghee, and sugar with this dish.
  • Different: Girda also uses plain flour, yogurt, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds and is fermented and baked, while this dish uses khoya, raisins, pistachios, and almonds and is a toasted-flour sweet.
Mawe ki Kachori
Sweet Stuffed Kachori
Mawe ki Kachori tastes crisp and syrup-soaked with rose and cardamom, while this dish tastes crumbly, buttery and deeply nutty.
  • Same: Both are khoya-based Indian sweets with sugar, raisins and pistachios, and both include nuts and dried fruit.
  • Different: Mawe ki Kachori is a crisp stuffed pastry made from plain flour, baking soda, salt and vegetable oil, flavored with cardamom, chironji, lime juice and rosewater and soaked in sugar syrup; this dish is a ghee-toasted whole-wheat flour bonbon mixed with khoya, sugar and nuts, with no pastry shell or syrup.
Chapaati
Chapati
Chapaati tastes mild, wheaty, and plain, unlike the rich, buttery, and sugary profile of this dish.
  • Same: Both dishes rely on wheat flour as their primary foundation.
  • Different: Chapaati is an unleavened dough cooked dry on a griddle with just a pinch of salt, lacking the ghee, khoya, sugar, and almonds used to bind this dish.