Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts is a widely popular simple sweet in India and traditionally made for festive occasions especially Diwali. They are crispy, flaky and mildly sweet. The best part is that you can adjust sweetness to suit your palate.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2015 and has been updated with Video and replaced with edited pictures for comprehensiveness and freshness. 
Sweets have been an integral part of Indian festivals. Are you wondering which special goodies to dig into this festival season? The demands of the festive season will surely drive more innovations. To start with I’m going to share with you two traditional sweet recipes- “Sweet Shankarpali or Shakkar Para“ and “Traditional Boondi Ladoo“.
We are in the auspicious month of Shravan, which is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. It also ushers in the 4-month long festival season in India that stretches right up to Deepavali or Diwali. There is a certain religious ambience to this month and this coupled with the colourful festivals make it a very eventful time in the Indian culture. All important religious festivals and ceremonies like Bodh Chaut, Nag Panchami, Randhan Chat, VaraLakshmi Vrat, Onam, Janmastami, Raksha Bandhan and a few more fall in the month of Shravan.
What is Shankarpali?
Shankarpali is a widely popular snack in India and traditionally made for Diwali. Shankarpali can be made in two forms – sweet and savoury (both equally addictive). Today I’ll be sharing the recipe for the sweet version also known as Shakarpara. Click here to check out the savoury version of this!!
I have always enjoyed to munch these as a kid, of course even now!! I have a sweet tooth and anything made with love and is a sweet stuff is my favourite. Shankarpali is a snack popular in Maharashtra, India. It is traditionally enjoyed as a treat on the Diwali holiday. But the deep fried goodie is such a delicious snack that we make it at every opportunity.
There are two methods to make Shakarpara:
- Sugar is added while making dough and then deep-fried in oil. They are quite thick and crunchy and lightly sweet in taste.
- There is no sugar added in the dough. After deep frying, they are coated with sugar syrup. I will share this method sometime later.
These Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts are so tasty that you cannot stop munching. I like to make them in smaller bite size pieces. But you can make any size you want. Only keep in mind that bigger the size, longer the time it needs to cook.
Off to the recipe!!
Step-by-Step process to make
Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts:
- Sift flour, add a pinch of salt and the butter.
- Rub the butter with the flour through your finger. It should appear like breadcrumbs.
- Now start adding water little by little and knead to form soft and smooth dough.
- Keep kneading the dough for about 5 to 10 minutes applying pressure.
- Keep the dough aside covered with a damp cotton cloth for about 30 minutes.
- Now assemble all the necessary tools. You will need a rolling pin, a rolling board, a knife or a wheel that looks like a pizza-cutter, a deep pan and a slotted spoon for frying, another wide & shallow dish to take out the fried Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts onto.
- It’s time now to make big balls out of the dough and roll them with a rolling pin.
- Roll them into round shape similar to a roti but little thicker.
- Take a knife and cut them into diamond shape.
- For this make vertical and horizontal lines each measuring more than an inch diamond. Alternatively you could cut them into square shape.
- Remove it to another plate in single layer and let it dry for at least 20 minutes. This step will help in making it crispy. Meanwhile roll another ball and prepare the Cuts.
Deep Frying:
- Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat for deep-frying.
- Once the oil is hot, simmer and add the shankarpali to the oil.
- Once the shankarpali are nice golden brown remove them.
- Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough.
- Allow them to cool. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup.
For the sugar syrup:
- Take sugar and water in a deep pan, mix well so it is melted. Bring it to a boil and cook it to single string consistency. When you take the spoon from the syrup and see, the last drop falling from the syrup should form a single string like consistency.
- At this point, turn off the heat, add cardamom powder and add the Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts to the syrup.
- Alternatively you can also add the sugar syrup to the Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts so that you can use up only required syrup to just coat them.
- Let the Shakarpara cool completely.
- Then store them in a dry container with a tight lid. They should last for about 10 days.
Sweet Shankarpali or Sweet Diamond Cuts
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 butter stick
- A pinch of salt
- ¾ Cup water or as required
For the Sugar syrup:
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water
Other Ingredients:
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder
- Required Oil for deep-frying
Instructions
To make Dough:
- Sift flour, add a pinch of salt and the butter. Rub the butter with the flour through your finger. It should appear like breadcrumbs.
- Now start adding water little by little and knead to form soft and smooth dough. Keep kneading the dough for about 5 to 10 minutes applying pressure.
- Keep the dough aside covered with a damp cotton cloth for about 30 minutes.
To roll out the dough and make diamond cuts:
- It’s time now to make big balls out of the dough and roll them with a roti roller.
- Roll them into round shape similar to a roti but little thicker.
- Take a knife and cut them into diamond shape.
- For this make vertical and horizontal lines each measuring more than an inch diamond. Alternatively you could cut them into square shape.
- Remove them to another plate in single layer and let it dry for at least 20 minutes. This step will help in making them crispy. Meanwhile roll another ball and prepare shankarpali.
Deep Frying:
- Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat for deep-frying.
- Once the oil is hot, simmer and add the shankarpali to the oil.
- Once the shankarpali are nice golden brown remove them.
- Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough.
- Allow them to cool. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup.
Making Sugar Syrup:
- Take sugar and water in a deep pan, mix well so it is melted. Bring it to a boil and cook it to a single string consistency. When you take the spoon from the syrup and see, the last drop falling from the syrup should form a single string like consistency.
- At this point, turn off the heat, add cardamom powder and add the shankarpali to the syrup. Alternatively you can also add the sugar syrup to the shankarpali so that you can use up only required syrup to just coat the shankarpali.
- Let the fried Shankarpali cool completely on a shallow dish. Then store them in a dry container with a tight lid. This should last for about 10 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- The dough should be kneaded well and should be soft and smooth.
- While rolling the dough dust some flour to roll evenly.
- Let the cut Shankarpali dry out for 20 minutes, it helps to make it more crispy.
- Oil should be on medium-low heat while frying.
- Cool shankarpara before storing. Should last for more than 10 days.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED SUGAR COATED SHANKARPALI RECIPE!!
Check out other similar categories from blog:
A popular festival sweets on my blog:
And many more to come!!…..Stay Tuned!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma
