Handcrafted treats for Deepavali

Soft, mildly sweet, and delicately flavoured kesar badam sandesh melts in my mouth with every bite. I also try the cashew date bites and the seeded dry fruit bites packed with the goodness of dry fruits and with no added sugar. It is delicious and wholesome. The selection of festive goodies from Upper Crust also has sweet treats like almond dessert bars with a crumbly, shortbread-like texture with a delicious almond glaze and buttery, long and crisp dry fruit cookie sticks loaded with chopped almonds, pistachios, and cashews. As I bite into crisp beetroot crackers dipped in earthy baba ganoush dip, the chocolate caramel squares and apple pie cookies vie for attention. While the chocolaty layer with a gooey caramel centre is buttery, the apple pie cookie filled with spiced apple filling is a perfect treat.

“Deepavali means a lot of work, a lot of sweets around me. My house is filled with sweets and savouries. Even my children joke that they will visit only on Deepavali day because I am too busy otherwise,” says Madhu Wadhwa, the founder of Upper Crust, whose signature chocolate caramel squares have earned her the affectionate nickname ‘caramel square aunty’ among her younger customers.

Started in 1996, the catering and home baking venture continues to re-imagine the festive menu with home-baked, eggless delights. “I have been doing this for three decades,” she says, adding that Deepavali is a season of sweet treats, savouries and a kitchen that barely rests. The festive menu brings together Indian classics such as assorted sandesh, gond laddoos, mawa gulab jamuns, and malpuas alongside contemporary desserts, tarts, and dessert jars. The use of ingredients such as almonds and dry fruits adds to the appeal of several offerings. Madhu also works with ingredients such as nolen gur, the date palm jaggery sourced from Kolkata, for sandesh.

The date-sweetened treats, in particular, appeal to those looking for alternatives to conventional sugar-laden sweets. Beyond sweets, the spread includes baked crackers and dips, Korean cream cheese garlic buns, and grazing hampers featuring an assortment of savouries and desserts. Cheese canvas boards and grazing boards have also become popular additions to her repertoire.

Customers can choose their preferred combination of sweets, cookies, savouries and dips, with the contents tailored to their tastes and budgets.

Beyond gifting, Madhu also takes catering orders for Deepavali parties too, starting from starters, and main dishes, to desserts and baked preparations. Her regular menu has separate selections for Indian and continental main courses. She adds, “After almost 30 years, Deepavali still remains a familiar ritual, where tradition meets changing tastes.”

You can place pre-orders on 9894712054. Gift boxes start at ₹600, while smaller, customised packs can be arranged at lower prices too