Carrot halwa, also known as Gajar ka halwa is a popular sweet treat in almost all regions of India. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess, and is actually a healthy dessert in many ways.
This Gajar ka halwa puff pastry is a unique take on the classic recipe, and is a great recipe to try out when you’re in the mood to experiment or just simply wow your guests.
Scroll down and read on to know everything you need to know about putting it together.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need two sets of ingredients to make the Gajar ka halwa puff pastry.
For the Gajar ka Halwa
- Carrots (grated): 2 cups
- Clarified butter or ghee: 1 tbsp
- Milk: ½ cup
- Condensed milk: ¼ cup
- Cardamom powder: A pinch
For the Puff Pastry
- Prepared Gajar ka Halwa
- Frozen puff pastry (thawed): 4 square pieces
- Egg wash: For brushing
How to Make the Gajar ka Halwa Puff Pastry
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you need to do next.
Heat a deep bottomed pan.
Add the grated carrots. Let it cook for a minute.
Next, add in the clarified butter or ghee and mix well.
Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the milk and mix well. Let the mixture come to a boil.
Keep stirring in between and let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the milk evaporates.
Next, add in the condensed milk and mix well.
Keep cooking until the milk dries. Keep aside once done.
Take a square shaped puff pastry sheet. Roll it with a rolling pin and stretch a bit.
On one side of the pastry, make cuts as shown in the picture.
Next, put a small portion of the gajar ka halwa on the pastry.
Put the cut strips on top of the gajar ka halwa and close the puff.
Join the borders and close any gap.
Transfer the stuffed puff pastry to a baking tray.
Transfer the baking tray to a preheated oven and bake the puff pastries at 180℃ for 20-25 minutes or until the pastries turn golden brown.
Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
To get the flavors of this dish right, choose red Delhi carrots. If you can’t seem to get your hands on them, you can stick to using the regular, orange carrots. Also remember to use younger, smaller carrots as opposed to the larger, tougher ones.
Depending on your personal taste preference, you can actually add in a lot more to the filling for the puff pastry. Chopped nuts and dried fruits are some classics you can stick to, but if you want to try out something different, throw in some raisins or even some white chocolate chips if you’re craving for a bit of sweetness.
To bring a bit of a fun element into the picture, you can cut the puff pastry into different unique shapes. If you’re planning to make these for Valentine’s Day, for instance, you can cut the puff pastry into hearts instead of squares.
You actually can! The halwa can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. In fact, this doesn’t just cut down cooking time for the recipe, but also gets the halwa nice and dry, just how you would want it to be.
Your leftover Gajar ka halwa puff pastry can be transferred to airtight containers and refrigerated for up to 4 days, if not more. Then, all you need to do is microwave or reheat them in the oven before you’re ready to serve them.
Tips & Tricks to Make the Gajar ka Halwa Puff Pastry
While putting this dish together may seem easy, you might want to keep these little tips and tricks in mind to make sure you nail the recipe.
- While it may sound counterintuitive, avoid grating the carrots too thin, or they’ll end up turning all mushy after they’re cooked. Making sure the strands are thicker will soften them, but still lend the halwa that texture you’re looking for.
- Make sure the halwa is completely dry and at room temperature or cold before you use it as a filling for the puff pastry.
- To bring some extra deliciousness and a bit of texture into the picture, you can also top the halwa filling with some crushed pistachios and almonds.
- Make sure you use full fat milk while making the halwa. This will bring a nice creaminess to the dish.
- And if that’s not enough and you really want the filling to be more creamy, you can also add some evaporated milk solids to the mixture while it is still on heat.
- Want the halwa to have the brilliant red color? Just a few drops of beetroot juice or extracts can do the trick.
- Remember to top the puffs with some egg wash or some milk before you pop them in the oven. This will help them get a nice shiny glaze on the top.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This delicious Gajar ka halwa puff pastry tastes best when enjoyed on its own, or paired with some vanilla ice cream on the side. You can also choose to dust a bit of icing sugar over the puffs or drizzle a little sugar syrup over them if you want some extra sweetness.
Enjoyed trying your hands at this sweet treat? Looking for some more fun and interesting dessert recipes to try out? Here are a few good ones you might want to take a look at.
📖 Recipe
Gajar ka Halwa Puff Pastry
Ingredients
Ingredients For the Gajar ka Halwa
- 2 cups Carrots , (grated)
- 1 tablespoon Clarified butter or ghee
- ½ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Condensed milk
- 1 pinch Cardamom powder
Ingredients For the Puff Pastry
- 1 bowl Prepared Gajar ka Halwa
- 4 pieces Frozen puff pastry, (thawed)
- 1 egg Egg wash, (For brushing)
Instructions
- Heat a deep bottomed pan.
- Add the grated carrots. Let it cook for a minute.
- Next, add in the clarified butter or ghee and mix well.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the milk and mix well. Let the mixture come to a boil.
- Keep stirring in between and let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the milk evaporates.
- Next, add in the condensed milk and mix well.
- Keep cooking until the milk dries. Keep aside once done.
- Take a square shaped puff pastry sheet. Roll it with a rolling pin and stretch a bit.
- On one side of the pastry, make cuts as shown in the picture.
- Next, put a small portion of the gajar ka halwa on the pastry.
- Put the cut strips on top of the gajar ka halwa and close the puff.
- Join the borders and close any gap.
- Transfer the stuffed puff pastry to a baking tray.
- Transfer the baking tray to a pre-heated oven and bake the puff pastries at 180℃ for 20-25 minutes or until the pastries turn golden brown.
- Serve hot.
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