May 20, 2012

Nankhatai - Traditional Indian Cookies

Nankhatai are traditional Indian cookies similar to shortbread cookies but not as dense and flakier. I tried few recipes and finally found one that works. I followed this recipe but made quite a few changes based on the other recipes I had tried before. It turned out pretty good but like with any baked snack it can take a few times to get it right.

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Ingredients

Unsalted Butter 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Sugar  1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder  1/4 tsp
Maida  1 cup
Baking Powder  1/4 tsp
Salt  1/8 tsp
Cornflour 2 tsp
Sooji/Rava 1/4 cup
Besan/Gramflour 2 tbsp
Yogurt   2 tbsp (optional)
Pistachios 8/9 chopped
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Beat butter and sugar until well blended and light and creamy. Add the cardamom powder and cornflour. Sift maida, sooji and besan along with baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and make sure they are well blended. If needed add the yogurt and form a dough. Put the dough in the fridge for 15/20 minutes to firm up. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the dough into equal size portions based o the desired size and form rounds preferably with no cracks and form in the shape of a peda. Arrange the pistachios on top. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 21/23 minutes and let them cool for about 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

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