Til Chikki | Sesame Brittle

A 20 minute recipe to make crisp, sweet til chikki.

A blend of sesame seeds, jaggery and cardamom; these are great through the winter months; especially for Makar Sankranti!

January is on and we are almost into Sankranti and Lohri. These harvest festivals are celebrated in all their glory in India. From worshipping the winter produce to flying kites and having a great time with family, these festivals are so much fun!

Whenever we talk of festivals, we also discuss festive food. The same goes for Sankranti.

This festival is celebrated with rewdi, chikki, undhiyu and ponk. While these are popular through the winter months; there is a different experience to enjoy them while flying kites over terraces.

Jump to:

• What is Chikki?
• This Til Chikki Recipe
• Why This Recipe Works
• Consistency of Jaggery is SO important here
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• Step by Step Instructions to make Til Chikki
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• Pairings for Sankranti
• More Chikki recipes to try
• Til Chikki

What is Chikki?

Chikki is a sweet made from seeds or nuts in a sweetener. Jaggery or sugar are the primary sweeteners we use in making chikki.

These crisps or brittles can be flavored with different ingredients like rose water, kewra essence or cardamom powder.

The seasonal bounty of winter which includes peanuts, sesame and coconut are combined with jaggery to make these brittles 'good for you' through the winter months. Moreover, these are super delicious too.

The popular chikki recipes include oat and dry fruit chikki, mamra chikki and peanut chikki.

This Til Chikki Recipe

Til chikki in particular is popular for the Sankranti. Popularly known as Tilachi Chikki in Marathi, Tal ni chikki in Gujarati or Til Gajak or Til Gur ki Chikki up North; this one is a favorite.

In Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra they hand out ladoos or chikki made with sesame i.e. til and say 'tilgud ghya goad goad bola' which translates to 'have some til chikki and talk sweetly'.

I have grown up enjoying chikki on terraces and have always loved it. And now I am glad my toddler is loving these too. He especially loves this til chikki.

Why This Recipe Works

• It comes together in 20 minutes of active time from start to finish.
• Needs only three essential ingredients; sesame seeds, jaggery and ghee.
• It is easy to flavor the chikki with flavorings like cardamom.
• This chikki is definitely on the healthier side of sweets.
• No frying, no excess ghee and just a few good-for-you ingredients makes it perfect for sweet cravings.
• We can make this ahead of time.
• The chikki stays well in air tight containers at room temperature for 10-12 days.
• Chikki is great for kids and adults alike.

Consistency of Jaggery is SO important here

As we know, the recipe only needs a couple of ingredients. Jaggery is the key one here. And while the recipe includes a few steps, the consistency of jaggery syrup is everything in the recipe.

There are a couple of ways to determine that the consistency is right:

• Use a kitchen thermometer to determine the temperature of jaggery syrup. It should be 300 F for a hard ball consistency that will give us crisp chikki.
• If you do not have a thermometer, you can still make the chikki perfectly. Once the jaggery is molten and cooking, drop a small amount of the molten jaggery in a bowl of cold water. If it forms a hard ball that can be broken into two without any strings, it is ready. Else cook for another couple minutes and check again.

Once this step is right, everything else is super easy and will give you the perfect chikki.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Til/ Sesame Seeds: We use til (sesame) as the base for the chikki. Here I have used white til. However, I use a mix of white and black til and it works perfectly well too. We need raw til for the chikki and not the roasted ones. We do lightly roast them but the pre-roasted ones tend to be brownish and do not taste as good in the chikki.
• Jaggery: The sweetener here is jaggery. Though sugar works too, I like to stick to jaggery for all my chikki recipes. If you use white colored jaggery, the end result will be lighter. However, I use desi jaggery and it is darker in color. So the chikki tends to be darker too.
• Ghee: I add a little ghee to the chikki. It not only keeps the whole thing moist, it also imparts a shine to the end product. Do not skip this for the best texture and gloss.
• Cardamom Powder: I also like to add some cardamom powder to my chikki. It makes them super flavorful. However, skip this if you do not like it or do not have it. Moreover, chopped nuts, dried rose petals and other spice powders can be added too.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information and measurements.

Step by Step Instructions to make Til Chikki

1- In a dry pan add til (sesame) seeds.

2- Let them roast for 3-4 minutes till they start to splutter. Do not brown them a lot as they will start tasting bitter. Remove and set aside.

3- In the same pan add ghee and jaggery.

4- The jaggery will start to melt; reduce the flame to the lowest setting and mix the jaggery intermittently.

5- The jaggery will melt completely and start to bubble. It takes about 10-12 minutes for this stage.

6- Then drop a small amount of the molten jaggery in a bowl of cold water. If it forms a hard ball that can be broken into two without any strings, it is ready. Else cook for another couple minutes and check again.

7- Then transfer the sesame seeds back into the cooked jaggery. Turn down the flame.

8- Mix well till all the sesame seeds are coated with jaggery. Add the cardamom powder and mix well.

9- Then transfer the mix on to a parchment paper.

10- Place another parchment paper on top and roll into a thin sheet. I rolled it to ¼ inch thickness. The thinner it is the crisper it will be.

11- Carefully peel the top parchment paper.

12- Using a sharp knife mark out the pieces immediately. I made them 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch.

13- Then cool completely for 60-90 minutes before breaking the pieces apart.

14- Transfer to an airtight container.

Expert Tips and Notes

• The process for making chikki is quick. So ensure everything is ready before you start.
• The recipe is easy to make with white sesame seeds, black seeds or a mix of both. However, the process remains same.
• Use a non-stick thick bottom pan for the recipe. It helps keep the process smooth with the ingredients not sticking to the base.
• Dry roast the sesame seeds for a nutty feel. Do not over roast them else they turn bitter.
• Use soft jaggery for the recipe. I personally do not like jaggery powder as it has anti-caking agents that do not completely melt and give the same texture of chikki.
• The color of the chikki will depend on the color of jaggery. Darker desi jaggery gives a darker shade while white jaggery gives a light tinge.
• Shape the chikki quickly, especially if working in cold environment. The jaggery tends to set super quick making it difficult to shape later.
• Make the cuts in the chikki when it is still warm. It is difficult to cut it neatly once the chikki sets completely.

Recipe FAQs

Pairings for Sankranti

Chikki is perfect for Sankranti along with some more delicious treats. Here are some great recipes to enjy kite flying with.

More Chikki recipes to try

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