January 10, 2023

Til Ladoo – Tilache Ladoo

This decadent Til Ladoo is a melt-in-your-mouth sweet dish from India. These sweet little balls are so delicious, aromatic, and are a perfect addition to your diet in winter. The til ladoo recipe comes together very quickly and tastes so amazing!

Til ladoos are made with nutty sesame seeds, peanuts, coconut, jaggery, some ghee, and flavored with cardamom. These ingredients are used for their warming nature in Indian cuisine during winter months.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated across India with different names like Lohri, Uttrayan, or Pongal around Mid-January. This festival marks the end of winter months and the beginning of spring. It is a harvest festival for farmers. Different states celebrate this festival according to their traditions all over India. Sweets made out of sesame and jaggery are offered to God on this day.

There are two types of til ladoos – one is crispy and the other one is soft. The crispy and crunchy one is made by cooking jaggery (chikki or desi jaggery) into a syrup called Tilgul in marathi. The softer ones are made without cooking the jaggery (regular yellow jaggery).

The crispy and crunchy til ladoo is my most favorite but I enjoy the softer ones equally. The softer til ladoo is generally liked by everyone from young kids to the elderly as they can enjoy it without biting too hard. The soft til ladoo is so delicious and easily melts in the mouth.

Sesame seeds are roasted until they release the nutty aroma on medium low heat. If the sesame seeds are quickly roasted on high heat, they will leave a burnt smell and taste bitter. Roasting them to perfection makes the ladoo with rich nutty flavors and simply heavenly.

Ingredients

Sesame seeds
Peanuts
Desiccated coconut
Jaggery
Cardamom powder
Ghee
Salt

Til Ladoo Step By Step Recipe

In a pan, add peanuts and roast them on a medium low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring continuously.

Transfer them to a plate and let them cool down slightly.

Once the peanuts cool down, rub them between your palms, and separate the peels by tossing them.

In the same pan, add some sesame seeds and roast them on medium low heat for 6-7 minutes. Stir them continuously without burning them, until lightly brown and crispy. Set them aside to cool down on a plate.

Add some desiccated coconut in the same pan on low heat. Let the coconut toast for 30-40 seconds until light brown. Set the coconut on a plate.

* Let the roasted ingredients come to room temperature before adding the next ingredients.

Transfer some jaggery, cardamom powder, a pinch of salt, and mix all the ingredients together.

Transfer the mixture to a blender jar or food processor. Pulse to mix the mixture 12-15 times. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, add some ghee. Pulse for another 5-6 times until everything comes together.

Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Knead the mixture with your fingers so oil will release from the sesame seeds and peanuts. It will help bind the ladoos while rolling them.

Take about 1.5 to 2 tbsp of mixture and start pressing the mixture with your palm and fingers. Roll the mixture with the help of both the palms and shape into a smooth round ball.

Repeat the same steps with the remaining mixture and form ladoos.

Keep the ladoos on a plate to air dry them and store in the container.

Tips For Making Til Ladoo

Roasting the ingredients on medium-low heat for deliciously tasting ladoos is very important.
Let the roasted ingredients come to room temperature before adding the jaggery and cardamom powder.
All the ingredients will come together quickly while pulsing them if you cut the jaggery into small pieces.
Ghee adds a lot of shine and helps in binding the ladoos, so don’t skip it.
Massage the mixture very well with your palms and fingers to release oil from the ingredients.
Buy a good quality of jaggery. If your jaggery is dry it will not help to bind the mixture well together to form a ladoo shape.
If you feel the mixture is dry and will not be able to shape the ladoo then add some more ghee in the mixture.
Still unable to bind the ladoos then heat the mixture on low heat for about 3-4 minutes on a stovetop and quickly bind the ladoos. You can heat the mixture in 2-3 batches in the microwave for 30 seconds and form the ladoos.

Variations

Adjust the sweetness according to your taste by increasing the jaggery quantity to 1 cup for this recipe.
Add ½ cup peanuts and skip desiccated coconut if you wish.
Adjust the ghee quantity for forming the round shape of til ladoo.
Add ready-made unsalted peanuts in the recipe to save some time and effort.
You can add some roasted nuts like almonds and pistachios in the recipe before pulsing the ingredients.
To make it vegan friendly, add some coconut oil instead of ghee in the recipe.

How To Store Til Ladoo?

Til Ladoos can be stored at room temperature for a month in an airtight container. Make sure to keep them in a dry place and away from the moisture.

Makar Sankranti Recipes

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