Paan Cheesecake Truffles (No-Bake)
No-bake paan cheesecake truffles with betel leaf, gulkand, cream cheese, and hung curd, coated in white candy melts and garnished with candied fennel or coconut.
Ingredients
For the paan paste
- 6 medium betel leaves paan; about 15 g packed chopped; stems trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon rose water
- 1/2 teaspoon kewra water optional
For the truffle filling
- 26 Parle-G biscuits or 1 1/4 cups fine cookie crumbs from digestive biscuits or graham crackers
- 6 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened at room temperature 30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons hung curd thick strained yogurt; cold
- 3 tablespoons gulkand rose petal preserve
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds not powdered; lightly crushed in a mortar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
For coating and garnish
- 7 oz white candy melts or white melting wafers about 200 g
- 1 to 2 drops green gel food color optional
- 2 tablespoons candied fennel or desiccated coconut mukhwas; for garnish
Instructions
Make the crumbs
- Add biscuits to a food processor. Pulse until you have fine crumbs, about 1 1/4 cups. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
Make the paan paste
- Stack paan leaves, roll tightly, and slice into thin ribbons. Add to a blender with heavy cream, rose water, and kewra if using.
- Blend until you have a thick, flecked green paste, 30 to 45 seconds. Scrape down once. Set aside.
Mix the filling
- To the bowl with crumbs, add cream cheese, hung curd, gulkand, crushed fennel, cardamom if using, and the paan paste.
- Beat with a paddle or hand mixer on medium-low until the mixture comes together and looks like thick cookie dough, about 90 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beat 30 seconds more.
Shape and chill
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop rounded tablespoons (or use a small cookie scoop) and roll into smooth balls with lightly oiled palms if the mix sticks.
- Freeze uncovered until firm enough to dip, 25 to 35 minutes.
Coat and garnish
- Melt candy melts in a microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring each time, or over a double boiler until fluid. Stir in green gel color if using.
- Dip each cold truffle with a fork or dipping tool, letting excess coating drip off. Place back on parchment.
- Sprinkle candied fennel or coconut on top before the shell sets. Repeat with all truffles.
- Chill at least 15 minutes until the coat is set. Transfer to an airtight container.
Notes
- If paan leaves are small, use 8 to 10 leaves by count so the paste stays fragrant.
- Hung curd should be thick like Greek yogurt; watery curd makes soft truffles.
- Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days in an airtight container. Serve chilled for the cleanest snap on the coating.
- Undipped balls can freeze overnight on the sheet, then dip the next day.
- Add 5 extra minutes to the freezer step if the balls thawed during storage.
- Skip kewra and use an extra 1/4 teaspoon rose water if that is what you have.
- For a dairy-light test, replace hung curd with the same amount of mascarpone; vegan swaps are not tested in this recipe.
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