Eggless Kaju Pista Cookies are popular tea-time cookies from India!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 70 minutes
  • Cook time: 16 minutes
  • Total time: 86 minutes
  • Yield: 3 dozen cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 2.5 tablespoons vanilla custard powder [i use the one we get at indian stores (any brand would do])
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup butter (unsalted [1 stick])
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kewra essence
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (cashews & pistachios and some more to garnish on top)
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk (as required)

Method

  1. In a bowl sift together flour, custard powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using your stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add vanilla extract, kewra essence, cardamom powder and mix till well combined.
  4. Now add the flour mix and chopped nuts.
  5. Mix to form a dough. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is not coming together.
  6. Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each part into a log and then wrap with a cling. Refrigerate the logs for 1-2 hours.
  7. Once the dough has chilled, slice the logs into cookies and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle some more chopped cashews and pistachios on top.
  8. Bake the cookies at 350 F degrees for 16-17 minutes. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool down.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.