Peanut Chikki Recipe (Peanut Gajak)

This sweet, nutty and crunchy Peanut Chikki Recipe (called Peanut Brittle in English and Gajak in Hindi) is a popular winter sweet snack in India. They are easy to make and you only need two key ingredients! Grab some jaggery and peanuts and make this delicious sweet in less than 30 minutes.

About Chikki

Chikki is an Indian sweet candy made traditionally made with jaggery and nuts like roasted peanuts or cashews or almonds and even coconut.

Some variants are made with roasted chana dal (hulled black chickpeas), puffed rice, roasted amaranth seeds or sesame seeds, or a mix of various nuts and dry fruits.

This mouth-watering candy is referred to as Chikki in Marathi and Gajak in Hindi. Chikki is very popular with kids and are usually made and enjoyed during the winter season in India and the Makar Sankranti festival.

Jaggery is Indian unrefined cane sugar made by simmering fresh sugar cane juice in large iron woks until it reduces to a very thick consistency. It has a unique flavor profile and can be compared to that of muscovado sugar or molasses.

Chikki are available in supermarkets. However, homemade chikki or gajak are superior as they don’t include preservatives.

Liquid glucose, sugar, corn syrup and other preservatives are added to chikki sold in supermarkets to give them a longer shelf life as well as to improve their texture.

You only need 2 ingredients to make these mouth-watering peanut chikki recipe. They are pretty simple to make however, it is crucial that you get the jaggery syrup right.

Cook the syrup until it gets to the hardball stage for the best results. Another important step involves removing peanut skins from the peanuts. If the peanuts you are using are skinless then you can skip this step!

Some other popular sweets eaten during Sankranti-Pongal-Lohri are Til Ladoo and Sweet Pongal.

How to Make Peanut Chikki Recipe

Roast Peanuts

1. Heat a thick-bottom heavy kadai or pan and add 1 cup of peanuts.

2. Roast the peanuts on a low to medium heat and stir from time to time until they become crunchy.

3. Roast until black spots appear on the peanuts, taste them and make sure they have some crunch. If the peanuts are still raw then roast them for longer.

4. Once the peanuts are roasted add them to a separate plate or tray and leave them to cool down.

5. Grease the back of a metal baking tray, steel plate, or marble board with oil or ghee. You can also brush a parchment paper kept on a sturdy surface with oil or ghee.

6. Once the peanuts cool down, rub them between your palms and peel off the husks.

7. Add peanuts to a sieve or winnow with large perforations and sift to remove husks. Remove husked peanuts and set them aside.

TIP 1: Using a sieve or winnow will help to remove the husks easily and quickly.

TIP 2: If you prefer you can crush the peanuts coarsely with a pestle or in a spice-grinder or mixer-grinder.

Make Jaggery Syrup

8. Add ½ a cup of jaggery powder or chopped jaggery to the same kadai or pan. Strain the jaggery if there are any impurities.

TIP: If you don’t have jaggery powder then you can use a jaggery block instead. Chop it finely and measure the chopped jaggery in a ½ cup measuring cup.

NOTE: Here I have used organic jaggery powder and it has worked perfectly for me. You could use the regular jaggery, organic jaggery or your preferred brand. Just remember not to use evaporated sugar cane juice.

9. Add 2 tablespoons of water.

10. Heat the kadai (wok) or pan on a low flame. Then, use a spatula or spoon to stir the jaggery syrup until the jaggery dissolves.

11. Continue to stir the mixture continuously.

12. The jaggery syrup should begin to thicken. Continue to stir the syrup on a low flame.

13. Add cold water to a bowl and keep it close by. Then add a few drops of jaggery syrup to the water to check the consistency of the jaggery syrup as it cooks.

14. The syrup will thicken and begin to bubble.

15. Continue to cook jaggery syrup on low heat and stir often.

16. Cook the mixture until it starts to thicken. The color of the syrup will change and darken. At this point, the syrup should be stirred non-stop to prevent burning.

17. Eventually the syrup should resemble molten liquid mass.

18. Check the consistency by adding a few drops of the jaggery syrup to the cold water. The jaggery syrup should be firm, brittle, and snap easily. This is referred to as the hard ball stage.

Make Peanut Chikki

19. Once the jaggery syrup is the right consistency, add the peanuts quickly.

20. Mix the jaggery syrup and peanuts until well combined.

21. Switch off the heat and quickly pour the chikki mixture onto a greased plate or marble board.

22. Place foil, butter paper, or parchment paper on the chikki mixture. Use a rolling pin to flatten the chikki mixture into one even layer.

23. After rolling the chikki mixture, remove the parchment paper.

24. After removing the paper, carefully cut the chikki into equal-sized squares. 

Tip: Make sure the chikki is hot when rolling and cutting. If the chikki is cold then it will be difficult to cut and roll.

25. Leave the chopped chikki to cool at room temperature.

25. Once the Peanut Chikki has cooled down break and serve. If you want to serve the chikki or gajak at a later time then store it in an airtight jar at room temperature.

Expert Tips

• Jaggery syrup: Make sure you pay a lot of attention when making the jaggery syrup. It is essential that the syrup is cooked to the hard boiled staged to get the best results. Add a drop of jaggery syrup to a bowl of cold water to check the consistency. Be attentive when cooking jaggery syrup. If it is not cooked for long enough then the chikki or gajak will be chewy and sticky.
• Hard ball stage: Do not cook the syrup beyond the hard ball stage as the peanut chikki will become too hard. To avoid this cook the jaggery syrup on a low heat and stir it continuously.
• Roasting: You need to roast the peanuts until they are crunchy to make the best chikki recipe. If the peanuts still have husks then rub them between your palms to remove the husks or use a sieve. Do not skip this step as you don’t want peanut skins in the chikki.
• Slicing: After the chikki mixture has been rolled you will need to cut it into equal sized squares. It is crucial to chop when the chikki is still hot. If the chikki sets and cools it will be difficult to chop the candy.
• Batch: This decadent sweet can be made in large batches! Double or triple this peanut chikki recipe to feed a crowd. But remember that it will be an arm exercise as you will need to stir the jaggery liquid many times.

FAQs

This Peanut Chikki recipe from the archives, originally published in January 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.