Eggless Indian Shortbread Cookies, these Nankhatai will melt-in-your-mouth!
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 45 minutes
- Cook time: 16 minutes
- Total time: 61 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour or maida
- 3/4 cup besan or chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup sooji or semolina
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup +2-3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (in semi-solid state, should not be melted)
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (from 7-8 cardamom pods)
- ½ teaspoon saffron strands (crushed)
- chopped pistachios (to garnish)
- chopped almonds (to garnish)
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional, only use if dough isn't coming together)
Method
- In a bowl sieve together flour, besan, sooji and cardamom powder. Add salt and mix till well combined.
- Using your stand or hand mixer, mix/cream together ghee with powdered sugar and crushed saffron strands until fuffy.
- Add the flour mix (the dry ingredients) and mix.
- Mix until it forms a soft and smooth dough. If the dough is not coming together, you may add a tablespoon of milk at this point.
- Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes take the dough out and pinch equal size balls from the dough.
- Flatten each balls slightly with your hands and if you want make a criss-cross design on top with a knife. Press some chopped nuts in the center.
- Place the baking tray lined with the cookies back in the refrigerator again for 20 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.
- After 20 minutes, take out the baking tray and bake at 375 F degrees for 16-18 minutes or till the bottom of the cookies starts turning light brown in color.
- Remove nankhatai from oven and let cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
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.