With the temperature falling across the country, people are getting prepared to welcome winter with warm blankets, hot beverages, and favourite foods. It is the time when we bid goodbye to cold drinks and ice cream and indulge ourselves in wintery delights. Among them, what takes center stage is the laddoo.
Winter demands experiments with different types of sweets. It seems that our craving for sweets heightens during the cold months. Laddoo, being the centre of attraction, dominates the dessert department. For the uninitiated, laddoo is a spherical sweet treat made from a variety of ingredients like dry fruits, jaggery, besan, semolina, grated coconut, and more, which serve as a common base. Laddoos can be eaten as a quick breakfast snack, at teatime or as a dessert to round off a hearty meal on a sweet note. In the winter months, different kinds of laddoos are made with various ingredients that keep our bodies warm from the inside and contribute to our overall wellbeing.
In this article, we’ll read about some of the winter-based laddoos that will elevate our sweet palate. Take a look:
- Til Laddoo
Sesame in til laddoo takes the spotlight for its warming effect, which is essential in winter. These delightful treats are crafted using roasted sesame seeds, jaggery, and occasionally desiccated coconut. The earthy aroma of toasted sesame seeds blends harmoniously with the rich sweetness of jaggery, creating a distinctive flavour profile. It is a winter snack, especially during Lohri and Makar Sankranti.
- Gond Laddoo
This laddoo featuring edible gum, also known as ‘dink,’ in some regions, is an essential delight in winter. The gum is mixed with ingredients like whole wheat flour, ghee (clarified butter), and jaggery, creating a delightful blend of flavours and textures. Edible gum is believed to have medicinal properties and is often consumed to boost energy.
- Dates And Nuts Laddoo
For a healthy kick, try dates and nuts laddoo, packed with the goodness of dates, dry fruits, and coconuts. To prepare this laddoo, finely chopped dates are blended with a mix of nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews, along with the goodness of shredded coconut. They are an ideal breakfast snack and are easy to indulge in.
- Sonth And Methi Laddoo
This is a winter staple and is made of fenugreek seeds, fennel, dry ginger powder, and jaggery. This laddoo derives its benefits from fenugreek and dry ginger. It not only keeps you warm from the inside but is believed to be nutritious, especially for women who are on their way to embracing motherhood.
- Panjiri Laddoo
If you want to focus on superfoods, then this laddoo is perfect for you. This laddoo is a blend of flour, dry fruits, semolina, makhana, coconut, and a generous amount of goodness from nuts. Bound together with ghee, this laddoo is a powerhouse of nutrients, fueling your winter days.