Nankhatai, or Indian shortbread cookies, are delicious, flaky, and truly melt in the mouth. These sweet cookies are widely popular across India and are delicious with a cup of tea or coffee!
There are various types of Nankhatai available in India. But this recipe is about simple, eggless, and truly delicious Indian shortbread cookies. The recipe is straightforward and quick, with only a few ingredients.
About Nankhatai
Making Nankhatai at home is thrilling and pure joy. I have loved these cookies and have been a massive fan of them since childhood. My parents often bought Nankhatai for me, which is still a tradition whenever I go to India.
If you search for information about Nankhatai, you might find different stories about its history and how it became popular in India. Even though it is available in most of the bakeries in India, only a few are exclusively famous for Nankhatai.
The recipe I am sharing is the most popular and the basic version of Nankhatai. It does not require baking powder or baking soda and is made with only a few ingredients.
Making Nankhatai at home is easy, and you will have these baked goodies within 30 minutes. The only thing is the correct ratio of ingredients and the proper technique.
Why You Will Love The Nankhatai
- Nankhatai is crispy outside with a soft interior.
- They are delicious, addictive, and melt in the mouth.
- The recipe is easy and quick with pantry staple ingredients.
- These Nankhatai biscuits are prepared in under 30 minutes.
- They are perfect to have with a cup of tea or coffee.
Ingredients and Notes
- Ghee or Clarified Butter: Ghee is the star ingredient of Nankhatai. We can make these cookies with butter as well, but then they will lose their Indian touch. Ghee makes the Nankhatai soft and so tender that they will melt in the mouth. Ghee should be in semi-solid form, and that is very important. It should be at room temperature but not melted. If you live in a hot area and your Ghee is melted, keep it in the fridge for a few minutes. Once it solidifies to semi-solid form, remove it from the refrigerator and start making Nankhatai.
- Icing sugar or Powdered Sugar: Using icing sugar makes it easier to beat Ghee and sugar. And icing sugar melts quickly in Ghee. So after beating Ghee and sugar, the mixture will be very creamy, light, and pale in color. This step is essential for making soft and tender Nankhatai from the inside. However, you can also use granulated sugar or grind it until it is almost like a powder.
- All-purpose Flour: I have used unbleached all-purpose flour. Also, we can replace ½ cup of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. However, if half of the flour is replaced with whole wheat flour, the texture and taste of Nankhatai will slightly differ.
- Chickpea Flour and Semolina: They are both necessary to make Nankhatai flaky and crispy from the outside. Use fine semolina to make Nankhatai; grind it to a fine consistency if you have only coarse semolina.
How To Make Nankhatai
Making The Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Sift all-purpose flour, chickpea flour, semolina, and salt together, whisk well, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, take Ghee and icing sugar and whisk well until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Make sure to use Ghee in semi-solid form and not melted. If your Ghee is melted, keep it in the fridge for a few minutes until it comes to a semi-solid form.
- Add cardamom powder and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.
- You can skip vanilla if you don’t like it in your Nankhatai.
- To the wet mixture, add dry ingredients and mix gently, initially with a spatula and then with your hands, until a very soft and smooth dough is formed.
- Do not over-mix or knead the dough. The dough will easily be formed and should be very soft, but it should not be sticky.
- However, if your dough is too soft and sticky, you can keep it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until it becomes a little firm and easy to handle.
- Then, remove it from the fridge and continue with the next steps.
Baking Nankhatai
- Spoon the dough and make an equal size of balls. I used a very small ice cream scoop to make approximately 1 & ½ tablespoon dough balls. I could make 18 balls.
- Flatten each ball slightly and place them on a baking sheet. Keep a good distance between each ball, as the Nan Khatai will spread during baking.
- Make an indent in the center of each ball with your finger or thumb, and place chopped pistachio on it.
- Bake NanKhatai for 14-16 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden. Keep an eye on Nan Khatai after 10 minutes of baking, as each oven is different.
- Remove NanKhatai from the oven, let it cool in the baking tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer it to the cooling rack.
Storing Suggestions
Allow NanKhatai to cool completely before storing.
Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 10-12 days.
Baking Tips
Measuring: Measure the dry ingredients correctly and use a kitchen scale for the best results.
Ghee: Use ghee in semi-solid form and not melted. If your ghee is melted because of warmness in the kitchen, place it in the fridge until it becomes semi-solid.
Powdered Sugar: Use icing sugar rather than granulated sugar. If you do not have icing sugar, grind the regular sugar into powdered sugar.
Creaming Ghee and Sugar: Make sure to cream Ghee and sugar until the mixture is very light and pale.
Baking: Keep an eye on the oven after 10 minutes of baking; Nankhatai should be lightly golden at the bottom.
More Delicious Cookies
Recipe Card
Nankhatai / Nankhatai Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150g) ghee at room temperature (clarified butter)
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25g) chickpea flour or Besan
- 2 tablespoon (25g) semolina or Sooji
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- chopped pistachios for garnishing or other nuts of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Sift all-purpose flour, chickpea flour, semolina, and salt together, whisk well, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, take Ghee and icing sugar and whisk well until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add cardamom powder and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix gently, initially with a spatula and then with your hands, until a very soft and smooth dough is formed.
- Do not overmix or knead the dough. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Spoon the dough and make an equal size of balls. I used a very small ice cream scoop to make approximately 1 & ½ tablespoon of dough balls. I could make 18 balls.
- Flatten each ball slightly and place them on a baking sheet. Keep a good distance between each ball, as the Nan Khatai will spread during baking.
- Make an indent in the center of each ball with your finger or thumb, and place chopped pistachio on it.
- Bake the NanKhatai for 14-16 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden. Keep an eye on Nan Khatai after 10 minutes of baking, as each oven is different.
- Remove NanKhatai biscuits from the oven, let them cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to the cooling rack.
- Let NanKhatai cool completely, and then store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Ghee: Ghee should be at room temperature and in semi-solid form. It should not be melted. If you live in a hot area and your Ghee is melted, keep it in the fridge for a few minutes or until it comes to a semi-solid form.
- Semolina: We need to use fine semolina for this recipe. If we use coarse semolina, there will be a crunch in the Nankhatai, which will be unpleasant. So if you don’t have fine semolina, grind it in the mixture to get the fine texture.
- Dough: If your dough is very soft and difficult to handle, and you can not make the balls, refrigerate it. Cover the dough tightly and place it in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. Take the dough out of the refrigerator once it is a little firm and easy to roll the balls. And then continue with the next steps.
Nutrition (Approximate Values)
Riya Sharma says
Can these delicacies be made without oven???
Jigna says
Hi Riya, I never tried other than oven but I know it can be done in pressure cooker.
Anonymous says
Hi tried the recepie its tasty and turned out really weell but baked it for 15 mns so liitle dark in color
Jigna says
Hi, thanks for your feedback. I am glad you like it. Each oven is different and so baking time. I would suggest to keep an eye after 10 minutes. As soon as you get perfect color, take it out and check for doneness. Other option is to decrease oven temperature and bake at 325 F degree. Hope this will help and you will get nice color next time.
Anonymous says
Can u give me some tips to maintain the calor as it looks inthe pic
Jigna says
Hi, so because Each oven is different and so baking time. I would suggest to keep an eye after 10 minutes. As soon as you get perfect color, take it out and check for doneness. Other option is to decrease oven temperature and bake at 325 F degree. Hope this will help and you will get nice color next time.
Tanushka says
Hey , thankyou for the recipe .
Can you tell me how to achieve that crispy , flaky texture . Mine taste good but they look flat and not as crispy and flaky
Jigna says
Hi Tanushka, sometimes fat melts very fast in the oven and makes Nan Khatai or cookies flat. It happens due to variable oven temperature or the temperature of the kitchen. I would suggest that after making dough, cover it and refrigerate for an hour or two. When it is time to bake, take the dough out, and follow the next steps. This way Nan khatai will not spread too much. Hope this will work for you next time. And thanks for visiting and trying the recipe.?
Srivastava says
My nankhatai is black at bottom.i tried reducing temp,but still no luck.
Jigna says
Hi Srivastava, I am sorry that Nankhatai didn’t turn out well for you. But what you have mentioned, I am sure there is a problem with the oven temperature.
It happens when there are hot spots in the oven. So baking time may vary, I would suggest not only to reduce temperature but also check after 10 minutes. If Nankhatai is baked, you can remove it earlier than mentioned in the recipe.
I had the same problem with my oven, it was 25° F hotter than what it was showing. So if I have to bake at 350° F, I have to set the temperature to 325° F.
Vani shree BG says
I tried it and came out soo yummy.. I have made it several times and everytime it’s perfect .thank you for this wonderful recipe
Jigna says
Hi Vani Shree, thank you so much for your feedback! I am glad that you like the recipe.