Nankhatai

“Nankhatai” is an Indian and Pakistan’s traditional shortbread cookie that is usually enjoyed with tea and coffee. It has a crumby and rich texture with a buttery and cardamom flavor. Some use it as a desert after meal. And the thing which make this cookies quite special is that they are eggless so whether a person is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, one can enjoy these without any guilt.

Texture: The texture is crumby and melt in mouth. It is soft and delicate but still enough firm to hold its round shape.

Appearance: Rounded shapes slightly flattened with some cracks on it. Slightly brown exterior garnished with firmly chopped pistachios and almond alternatively can be garnished with any other dry fruit.

Taste: Quit delicious with a rich taste of butter and cardamom and a hint of sweetness.

This recipe is one of the easiest recipe which is not much time consuming and no special ingredients are used in this. This is made with the ingredients which are easily available in our kitchen and we use them regularly.

So why to get late to bake this delicious cookies. lets satisfy your crave for baking and this mouth watering cookies.

Here’s the recipe, lets bake together:-

Ingredients

• Desi ghee or butter  – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp
• Granulated Sugar –  1/2 cup
• Baking Soda  –  1/4 tsp
• Curd       –   1tsp
• All purpose Flour – 1 cup

Instructions

1. Take a mixing bowl, add sugar and Ghee. Mix them with a hand whisker for around 50 times and the movement of your hand should be in same direction. This trick will create air bubbles in the dough and help the cookies to be fluffy while baking.
2. Now its turn to add baking soda, cardamom powder and curd in one go. Again use the whisker to mix them properly. The quantity of cardamom powder can be adjusted according to your taste. if you like this flavor you can add more.
3. When all the ingredients dissolve perfectly add all purpose flour and do not forget to sieve it before adding otherwise it would create lumps in the dough.
4. Now use your hand to mix all the things together. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes continuously until the dough become soft. It is the most essential step to get the perfect nan khatai cookies.
5. Now take the small portions and give them round and flattened shape.
6. Garnish them using the dry fruits you want it can be anything including almond, cashews, pistachios, rose petals and coconut crush or saffron.
7. Grease the baking tray or use parchment paper and place the cookies in tray.
8. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 335 degree F or 170 degree C for 20 – 25 minutes.
9. Let them Cool  Completely them serve and enjoy.

Time required

• Preparation time -20 minutes
• Baking time   –   25 minutes
• Total Time   –    45 minutes
• Servings –    15-20 pieces

Tools required

• Mixing bowl: To mix wet and dry ingredients all together.
• Hand whisker: To combine well all the ingredients
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons: For the accurate measurements of ingredients.
• Baking tray: To place the cookies in oven.
• Silicon brush: To grease the baking tray.
• Parchment paper: Prevent cookies from sticking to the tray.
• Oven: to bake the cookies.
• Cooling rack: To cool the cookies completely.
• Strainer: To sift all the dry ingredients.
• Airtight jar or container: To store the cookies.

Notes

• All the ingredients should be at room temperature.
• The dough should not have any lumps. 
• The garnishing should be with finely chopped dry fruits
• The mixing of ingredients should be in the same direction either in clockwise or in anti-clockwise.
• The measurements of the ingredients should be accurate and leveled otherwise it will highly effect the taste, flavor and texture of the cookies.
• Always sift the dry ingredients before adding to the mixture.
• If you think the dough is too soft, keeping it in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes is recommended.

How to store?

Short-term storage:

When the cookies are completely cooled, put them in an airtight jar. Place a parchment paper in between the layers to prevent them from sticking to each other. Keep the jar at room temperature. This way you can store the cookies for 2 weeks. Avoid keeping the container in  contact of direct sunlight.

Long-term storage:

You can store cookies for 2 months as well, to do so all you have to do is put them in a freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer. You can also wrap cookies individually with a cling wrap. It will preserve the freshness, taste and flavor. Let them cool at room temperature before eating.

How to bring variations?

There are several kinds of variations you can bring to elevate your cookies flavor. Here are some popular and creative one:

Flour replacement

As an healthier option you can replace all purpose flour with other flour which are:

• Gram Flour: You can add half of the gram flour or can fully replace it with all purpose flour.
• Whole Wheat: Fully replace it with all purpose flour. It will be the most healthier option.
• Atta:  Quite similar to whole wheat flour, but it is finely while grounded one (atta), makes the cookies lighter.

Flavor and Garnishing

• Saffron and Cardamom: These flavors all the traditional one. Use them in the dough, adjust the quantity as per your taste.
• Almond and Pistachios: If you are a fan of dry fruits and nuts, add finely chopped almonds and pistachios on the cookies before baking.
• Rose petals: For the most elegant look garnish cookies with some rose petals and for rose flavor, add rose water drops in the dough.
• Cashews: Finely grounded cashews can be use in the dough as well as on the top of cookies for garnishing purposes.
• Coconut: Desiccated coconut can be added to the dough. It will make the cookies chewy  maintaining the crispiness from exterior.

These are some creative ideas to enhance the look, taste and flavor of your cookies. These variations are completely optional and very friendly option. You can adjust the amount of every flavor and garnishing according to your preference, it will still give you the taste of authentic and classic Nankhatai.