Nan khatai - Eggless Indian Cookies / Cookies Recipe

      
          These are short bread Indian cookies called Nan khatai. It is a simple egg less cookies made with flour, semolina, sugar and ghee. Spices like cardamom added to give an extra zing to the cookies. You can add any nuts to garnish the cookies. They are perfect accompaniment for afternoon tea or coffee.
  

     Ingredients

            1/2 Cup of All Purpose Flour / Maida
            1/3 Cup of Semolina (Sooji / Rava)
            1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp of Castor Sugar
            1/8 Tsp of Baking Soda
            1/4 Cup of Clarified Butter (Ghee)
            2 -3 Tbsp of Milk
            3 Cardamom, Powdered with mortar and pestle
            1 Tbsp of Whole Wheat Flour
            Few cashew nuts
           
     Servings : 15 Cookies

     Method

• In a bowl, add maida, whole wheat flour, castor sugar, cardamom powder, baking soda and sooji, mix it well with hand.
• Add ghee little by little and mix it with flour, once the ghee has mixed well with the mixture. Add milk, little by little, mix well till the dough is formed. Knead the dough till you get soft.
• Divide the dough into equal parts, and use palm of your hand and make little balls out of the dough, approximately you will get 15 balls.
• Cookies gets flat and cracked when you bake so your balls should be smooth and without cracks.
• Place the balls in a baking tray, using knife, make a dent at the top of the cookie dough balls. Garnish with cashew pieces.
• In the mean time, preheat the oven to 300 Degree F.
• Place the baking tray in refrigerator for 10 mins.
• After 10 mins, place the baking tray in oven for 20 -25 mins. My cookies took 22 mins to bake.
• Let them cool completely and enjoy with coffee or tea.
• Store the remaining cookies in an airtight container.

     

       
     Tips

• If you find your dough is sticky, then add 1 or 2 tbsp of flour and then knead it..
• Keep an eye on cookies while baking, it should not turn to brown color.
• Adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. 
• Make castor sugar by grinding regular sugar.

      Recipe slightly adapted from Chef Annuradha