It is the season of festivals and the season of food. Makar Sankranti, the festival of kites brings warmth, joy and happiness. The Sun enters into the Makar Rashi (Capricorn) which marks the beginning of the harvesting season. So as we ring in the festivities for the arrival of harvest, we delve into a sweet fervor. To make the sweet festival even sweeter, we bring to you sweet delicacies to enjoy. Get ready before the January 14^th with the best of sweets that are made with til, nariyal, rava and besan-

The ladoos-

Sesame Ladoo or Til Ladoo

Roasted sesame seeds, jaggery and cardamom powder make the perfect round ball of til, i.e. the ladoo. They are tasty, delicious and have the nutty savor. The til ladoos contain iron and calcium, and the sesame and jaggery make it perfect for winters. It is known as Ellu Urundai, Ellu unde or Nuvvula undalu in other regional languages of India. Not only Sankranti, til ladoos are made on festivals like Navratri and Ganesh Chaturthi too. Adding peanuts and copra (shredded coconut) makes it even more tasty. The til ladoo has some variations too, with the oats sesame ladoo, dates sesame ladoo, the til ladoo with jaggery syrup and the Andhra style sesame ladoo.

Coconut ladoo

Next in the line is the most popular sweet ball, the coconut ladoo. A smooth flavored blend of coconut, sugar or jiggery and cardamom that instantly melts in the mouth. It is widely savored across the country with a plenty of variations to the recipes. The coconut ladoos are offered to the Gods during festivals. Apart from the sweetner and cardamom, nuts and raisins are also added to the ladoo. The milk and ghee make the ladoo well rolled as well as offer a rich taste (If you want you can make it vegan too, it is gluten free already). These days, mawa is also added in the coconut ladoo.

Rava ladoo

The Rava ladoo is a sweet that comes from the South India. Rolled with semolina (rava), sugar, ghee, cashews and raisins, the Rava ladoo is the most delicious festive treat which is a necessity in every Indian festival. Here, we use the semolina instead of flour. The rava ladoo is also known Suji ladoo in some parts of India. It melts easily in the mouth and in the end tastes crunchy with the cashews and cardamoms. Coconut is also added to the rava ladoo in some variations. Lastly, Rava ladoos are made with pure ghee, no water is added to it.

Besan ladoo

Everyone’s favorite Besan ladoo. This sweet ball is made up of gram flour (besan), sugar, ghee and cardamom powder. Besan ke ladoo are very popular and are widely served in weddings, festivals and other celebrations. The golden colored roasted gram flour blended with powdered sugar and cardamom is a traditional delicious serve that you must roll. Cashews, pistachios and melon seeds can also be added along with the Shakkar bhura. Like the besan ladoo, Mysore pak, besan barfi and besan ka halwa are also savored.

The barfis-

Coconut barfi

The coconut barfi is the age old rich Indian sweet enriched with coconut, sugar or jiggery, milk, cardamom and nuts. This mouth savoring sweet is also known as Copra pak, nariyal barfi, tengai barfi and kobbari barfi. The barfi is made with dry or fresh coconut, even desiccated coconut too. These days, mawa is also used to make coconut barfi. The barfi is usually served in family functions and weddings. 

Mysore Pak

The name speaks for the place where the sweet comes from. It is also believed that the Mysore Pak originated in the royal palace of the Maharaja of Mysore. This traditional sweet is made up of gram flour, ghee and sugar. Blended in ghee and oil, the Mysore Pak has its own unique porous texture and touch which is soft as well as non-greasy. Nowadays, eateries use Vanaspati to make Mysore Pak. It is the most popular in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. These days, Dates Mysore Pak and Chocolate Mysore Pak are also very famous.

Badam Barfi (Almond fudge)

The Badam Barfi is also known as Almond barfi or the Badam katli. This delightful sweet is made with only four ingredients and within a couple of minutes. The fine textured badam barfi is scented with cardamoms or rose water. People used to make it with soaked ground almond paste or homemade almond flour, these days the readymade flour along with mawa is added. It is the real winter delight.

7 cup barfi

The name derived as the barfi is made using seven cups of ingredients. It is a traditional South Indian sweet, also known as 7 cup cake or 7 cup sweet. The ingredients used are gram flour, sugar, ghee, milk, coconut and cardamom powder. Some versions of the barfi use maida (all-purpose flour) or maida along with semolina instead of gram flour. Dried coconut is also added for taste and aroma.

Chikki-

Peanut chikki

The crunchy, nutty and delicious Peanut chikki is the ultimate munch for the festival of Makar Sankranti. The best part, it is only made with two ingredients- Peanuts and jaggery. The chikki is nutrient rich, healthy and sugar free. Other versions also use almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, rice, roasted chana dal and dry coconut. It is also known as gud dani, gud patti, kadalai mittai and palli patti. It is also savored during Dussehra in South India. The chikki tastes best when it is homemade.

Til chikki

Or sesame chikki or til gajak or simply til ki chakki is the most savored sweet for Makar Sankranti. Til chikki is also known as tilgul, til gur patti or gajak in other parts of India. The golden colored dry sesame seeds dipped in the jaggery syrup or chashni tastes great. Peanut, badam, cashews and flax seeds can also be added for a wholesome sweet. It is savored during the winters as it keeps the body warm.

Apart from these, Puran Poli, rice kheer and many other sweets are consumed during the Makar Sankranti festival. So, delve into a delicious meal fervor with all the festive special sweets. Happy desserts all!