Nankhatai / Nankhatai Recipe
Nankhatai or Indian shortbread cookies are melt in the mouth, flaky, and delicious. They are easy to make and perfect to have with a cup of tea or coffee.
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Ghee or Clarified butter at room temperature
- 1 Cup icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ Cup chickpea flour or Besan
- 2 tablespoon 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
- Pre-heat the oven at 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, whisk well until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add cardamom powder and vanilla, whisk until well combined.
- 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 do not knead the dough. The dough will easily be formed and should be very soft, but it should not be 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 time, 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.
- 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)
Calories : 130kcalCarbohydrates : 14gProtein : 1gFat : 8gSaturated Fat : 5gPolyunsaturated Fat : 1gMonounsaturated Fat : 2gCholesterol : 19mgSodium : 34mgPotassium : 25mgFiber : 1gSugar : 7gVitamin A : 1IUVitamin C : 1mgCalcium : 2mgIron : 1mg
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