Recipe

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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by Panfusine

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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by Panfusine

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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by Panfusine

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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by Panfusine

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

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by Panfusine

Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

Photo 6 of 6
by Panfusine

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Carrot Recipe
    This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Picnic Dish
  • vvvanessa's Testing Notes: These bars are great on many levels. The finished product is a beautiful pale orange color that you don't see often in desserts and is very eye catching. The flavor is perfectly sweet - sweet...

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  • Chef

    Panfusine's Notes: Winter in New Delhi means usually heralds the advent of warm comfort foods like Jalebi, Coal grilled sweet potatoes & decadent Gajar (Carrot) Halwa, none of which may be defined as soft...

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Makes 24 pieces

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

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  2. Sieve together the flour & baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

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  3. Combine shredded carrots, condensed milk, sugar and raisins in an oven proof bowl. (rinse out the condensed milk sticking to the sides of the can with the whole milk and add to the carrots)

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  4. Mix well & microwave for 5-8 minutes till the carrots are soft & have lost their raw taste.

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  5. Add melted butter and ground spices & combine well. ( I prefer to add the spices after the carrots are cooked to ensure that the essential oils in the spices do not dissipate)

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  6. Pour the carrot mixture into the centre of the mixing bowl containing the flour. Fold in gently from the sides towards the centre. Take care not to over mix as this can cause the gluten to bind together, resulting in a tough & leathery texture.

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  7. Spread evenly onto baking tray and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake for ~ 20-25 minutes till the top is golden brown.

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  8. Allow to cool, cut into squares & serve. These bars freeze well & will keep for up to a month in the freezer.

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7 Comments on Carrot Halwa Blondie bars

Reply

Okay I made this tonight, first thing I tried from Food52 because I had most of the ingredients, love halwa, etc.

Changes: Allergic to almonds, so omitted. Added sugar/cinnamon mixture I had sitting around instead on top. No milk, so I used yogurt with a bit of cream instead. The rest I did as suggested.

Was confused how thick to make it, so I made it the thickness of say a biscotti. The texture turned out to be more cakelike than I imagined, but very nice. Sort of like a muffin I guess, semi-hard exterior and soft middle.

The first bite I thought it needed more sweetness, the last bite's aftertaste had me thinking wow, perfect amount of sugar afterall..

Never retrieved the cardamom pods, so I guess I'll have to look out for those as I eat.

Thinking orange zest might be a nice addition next time. Very nice and I'll make again. I'm going to cut into biscotti sized finger lengths and freeze some as suggested. Thanks for the recipe!

Dsc_0122 Reply

So glad you liked the recipe, A Sugar/cinnamon topping sounds wonderful! I'll definitely keep that in mind when I make this again for my son's class events.

New_years_kitchen_hlc_only Reply

These look perfectly divine! How do you think they would hold up, if I were to ship them to my sons at college? I usually just send them an uncut square of whatever bars I've made, secured with heavy cardboard of the same size on either side. And do they keep well? If I bake first thing in the morning, the boys usually receive what I've sent via priority USPS two days later . . . . I know they would both love these! Plus, I can see playing with the spices for a bit of variety in their "care" packages. E.g., I'm utterly enamored these days with cardamom + fennel. These would be perfect for that combo, don't you think? Thank you. ;o)

Dsc_0122 Reply

Thanks AJ..Priority USPS should work, I haven't sent them out by mail, although I've lugged them in ziplock bags by car. they hold up their shape quite well!

Dsc_0122 Reply

Thank you VanessaS for your wonderful review..

Wedding_pictures_162 Reply

yum

New_years_kitchen_hlc_only Reply

I totally agree. Really want to try this recipe! ;o)

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