Nankhatais are cookies/biscuits made with refined flour, sugar and ghee. They have brittle, buttery texture and pair well with a hot cup of tea. These cookies were quite popular a few decades ago. It used to feature in the list of items/sweets made during Diwali. Back in those days, when oven was not a common appliance at home, people used to make the dough at home and get the biscuits baked from nearby bakeries. However, these are now replaced by a whole range of exotic cookies which are easily available in the market. So, just to reminisce on the good old memories associated with these biscuits, I made a small batch of nankhatais. Nankhatis are fairly simple to make. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup of refined flour (maida)
½ cup of powdered sugar (pisi hui cheeni)
1 tbsp semolina (rava)
6 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
¼ tsp baking soda
A pinch of cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
Few pistachios, broken into small pieces (pista)
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees C.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, sift maida, baking soda, rava and powdered sugar. Add cardamom powder. Mix everything.
- Now, add the ghee, little at a time and mix, using your hands.
- Knead the mixture to a smooth dough.
- Pinch a small portion of the dough and shape into a ball and flatten it.
- Place the dough ball on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and keep them on the baking tray.
- Place and press pieces of pista on each nankhatai.
- Place the tray in oven and bake at 160 degrees C for 15 minutes.
- Keep an eye on the biscuits. Do not allow them to turn brown.
- Once the nankhatis are done, remove the tray from the oven and allow the nankhatis to cool completely.
- Serve with tea or store in an airtight container.
Note:
- Baking time may vary from oven to oven.
- Ghee should be added little at a time. Knead the dough till they become smooth. I have used 6 tbsp ghee.The quantity of ghee may vary depending on the variety of flour used.
- A pinch of salt can be added while kneading the dough.
WATCH RECIPE VIDEO:
