Description
These brown butter white chocolate carrot halwa cookies are a fun twist on traditional Indian gajar ka halwa! Made with homemade carrot halwa, nutty brown butter, warm cardamom, and chopped walnuts, these soft and chewy cookies are finished with a sweet white chocolate base. They’re the perfect Indian fusion dessert when you want to turn a classic mithai into something unexpected and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Carrot halwa
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
Cookie dough
- ½ cup unsalted or salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- All of the prepared, cooled carrot halwa
White chocolate base
- Approximately 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add cardamom and grated carrots. Cook for 5–7 minutes.
- Add sugar and milk. Reduce heat slightly and cook for another 10–13 minutes, until the carrots soften and most of the milk evaporates.
- Stir in shredded coconut. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.
- Mix browned butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
- Fold in the cooled carrot halwa and chopped walnuts.
- Chill the dough for at least 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set.
- Cool the cookies completely.
- Melt the white chocolate. Place about 1 tablespoon onto parchment paper for each cookie and place a cookie on top of each dollop.
- Let the white chocolate set completely before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the carrot halwa is completely cool before mixing it into the dough.
- If using salted butter, you can omit the additional pinch of salt.
- The amount of white chocolate needed will depend on how much you use under each cookie.
- For the eggless option, substitute ¼ cup thick plain Greek yogurt for the egg and egg yolk, and adjust the flour if needed.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Fusion
Keywords: Gajar halwa cookies, carrot, fusion desserts, white chocolate