An evergreen, universal favorite owing to its richness and gentle sweetness . Also very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 cup of cashews
3/4 cup (or slightly less if you prefer) of sugar
1/4 cup of water
 
Yields about 20 diamonds.

Method:

1. Finely grind the cashews to a powder. A coffee grinder does a great job of this.
   2. Mix the sugar and water in a wide saucepan.
   3. Heat till small bubbles begin to appear on the surface.
   4. Stir gently and let it come to a rolling boil. No need to check for string consistency etc of the syrup.
   5. Pour in the cashew powder and stir well to avoid lumps.
   6. Keep stirring for a few minutes and you should notice the mixture getting a little thicker.
   7. Put a little drop on a chilled plate and test to see if it hardens slightly. You should be able to roll it into a loose ball.
   8. If it does, switch off the heat and move the pan away from the hot surface.
   9. Let it cool slightly and dump out the contents onto a board or a clean countertop.
  10. Knead well with your hands (much like you would knead bread dough) to make it smooth and glossy.
  11. Roll out with a rolling pin into 1/4 inch thick sheet and cut into diamond shaped pieces.
  12. Gather all the end bits and knead again and repeat the process. No wastage!!
  13. Let cool/dry and pack in tins between sheets of waxed paper.
  14. Store at room temperature for a week or in the fridge for longer.

Notes:

1. If the mixture remains runny after it has cooled down, you can heat it up a bit more or microwave it to get it to thicken up.
   2. If you have over cooked it and the mixture becomes powdery, add a few drops of milk to knead it. This will reduce the shelf life a bit, but won’t make any difference in taste.