6 halwa recipes

Halwa Shebakia: traditional Moroccan fried flower-shaped cookies soaked in honey and coated in toasted sesame seeds. A Ramadan dessert served with harira soup.

Suji halva is a warm Indian semolina dessert toasted in ghee until golden, then soaked in cardamom-scented sugar syrup. Topped with sliced almonds and plump raisins, it's ready in just 20 minutes.

This scrumptious side dish is made from carrots, cardamom seeds and cashews.

Gajar ka halwa (carrot halva) is a traditional Indian dessert made by slow-cooking grated carrots in milk for hours until thick and fudgy, then enriched with sugar, powdered milk, and nuts.

Halva gateau is a Middle Eastern layer cake with semolina-almond sponge, coffee syrup soak, and halva buttercream. Pistachio-topped elegance perfumed with cinnamon.

Mini pound cake baked in a 6-inch loaf pan with butter, sugar, egg, and flour. A scaled-down classic with a tender, buttery crumb and a golden top that springs back when pressed.