Thandai Spiced Badam Nankhatai

03/16/2021 Tanvi1 Comment

Crumbly, nutty nankhatai are everyone’s favorite. I make them often especially for the kids with different flavors and nuts. I make them with besan only, or sometimes with a mix of different flours- all purpose & semolina. There are truly so many combinations of flours and flavors.

This was the cookie which I grew up with. We had a round aluminum oven at my grandma’s place and it saw light of the day just to bake nankhatais. Every two weeks we had a fun baking session with my siblings, aunts and mom and we made tons of nankhatai. The texture of nankhatai is unique- its crumbly yet soft and mouthful. They should be crisp outside but still have a melt in the mouth centre. These nankhatai are super easy to make, just need a handful of ingredients and make for a good treat anytime.

Some tips to keep in mind when making Nankhatai.

I use ghee to make the dough. The ghee should be softened, it should not be melted. It should not be solid. It should be similar to softened butter. The flours bind using just ghee and no other wet ingredient, so its important that the ghee is measured properly(too much will make the cookies spread) and is of the right consistency .
I make nankhatai using just chickpea flour many a times (will share recipe sometime), however I feel using all purpose flour gives a nice body to the cookies and besan gives an amazing taste. Semolina can be added as well for extra crispiness.
The kind of sugar which is suitable is confectioners sugar or powdered sugar. Please dont use granulated or raw sugar ground at home. Store bough powdered sugar has a little bit of cornstarch which helps in the texture of the cookies.
Nut powder- If you have allergies, you can skip it and substitute it with equal quantity of flour. Or substitute with any kind of nut powder you fancy- cashew & pistachios work great. However keep in mind to use finely ground nuts in this recipe. Finely ground almonds are different from almond meal. If you have almond meal at home, process it to fine before using.
Th best way to know the if the dough is right is so feel it. The dough should come together in a ball and it should be soft yet firm. The dough should not be sticky at all. If it sticking to your hands, that means that you added more ghee and this will make the cookies spread too much when they bake, so add little flour to firm up the dough.
I used thandai spices(not powder) to spice up these nankhatai, you can use just cardamom powder if you wish.
I used gel colors to the dough in the spirit of festival of Holi, you can skip the colors and make them traditional as well.

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Thandai Spiced Nankhatai

Crumbly ghee loaded indian shortbread which are suitable for festivals, as a snack or any occasion.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time22 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: one bite shortbreads

Equipment

Mixing bowls, cookie sheet, measuring spoons and cups

Ingredients

For The Nankhatai

75 gms (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
25 gms(1/4 cup) besan
20 gms (about 1/4 cup) finely ground almond powder
75 gms(10tbsp) powdered sugar
75-100 gms (1/3 cup – 1/2 cup) softened ghee, not melted adjust depending on consistency of dough
1 tsp thandai spice powder (recipe below)

Thandai Spice (makes extra)

1 tsp (8-10) black peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
3-4 saffron threads

Instructions

Add all the thandai spices to a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.
Place a sieve over a large bowl and sift flour, almond flour, powdered sugar and besan. Make sure that there are no lumps.
Add the thandai spice powder and mix with fingers to combine.
Add softened ghee in parts, a little at a time and start mixing with the other hand(or a soft spatula) at the same time to incorporate the ghee. Mix very well, we want to moisten each and every speck of flours with ghee- makes for a crumbly nankhatai.
Incorporate ghee as needed to make a soft yet firm dough. You will use anywhere from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup depending upon the absorption quality of your flour.The dough should not be loose or sticky. If needed due to wamr weather, refrigerate the dough to make handling easier.
Once the dough is formed, divide into 4 portions and and add gel color of your choice to dye each portion.
Pinch small portions (these spread a bit) of the dough and place on a baking sheet lined with paper. You can press a whole raw almond on top or any nut of choice. Place the cookies a bit apart since these spread a little(not much).
Refrigerate for 10 minutes(dont skip). Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325F.
Bake for 18-22 minutes till the bottoms are light golden in color. Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Citrus Yogurt & Olive Oil Cake (Eggless & One Bowl)

01/20/202101/25/2021 Tanvi1 Comment

A super soft yet a firm cake with a beautiful crumb. It has a rich tang of whole milk yogurt and fruity hints of olive oil in every bite. I have been making this eggless cake for many years and get asked for a recipe every time I share it on my Instagram page. The recipe is ridiculously simple and uses just one bowl (how easy!)

I added blood orange juice (can you see a faint pink hue?) because they are in season but any kind of citrus will work in this recipe- naval orange juice, meyer lemons or regular lemons. Just make sure that you squeeze the citrus juice fresh before using. To cut the sweetness of sugar and the richness of olive oil, you do need lots of acid – that why both yogurt & citrus come helping, dont worry the cake isn’t tangy.

I like to serve it with faintly sweetened whipped cream on the side , however, you can cover it with frosting if you wish so. As for the flavors- cardamom with its balmy lemony notes is my absolute favorite, however use rosewater, saffron, vanilla – whatever you fancy. Use this recipe as a blank canvas for any eggless cake.

Ideally I like using a 8 inch round cake pan, but if you don’t have one, that fine too, just use a 9 inch cake pan and the cake will be slightly flatter but as delicious.

Recipe

Ingredients (Makes one 8 inch Cake, serves 4-6)

125 gms whole milk plain greek yogurt, room temperature & slightly beaten (see note)
210 gms granulated sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
125 ml good quality olive oil (please dont use extra virgin)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground cardamom powder
205 gms all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup heavy cream, soft whipped with 2 tbsp sugar for serving

Note – Please use thick (ideally greek) yogurt in this recipe. If you reside in a place where you dont have access to greek yogurt, use hung curd if your yogurt tends to be watery.

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or brush an 8 inch round cake pan with olive oil. Line the base of pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the beaten yogurt, sugar, vinegar, olive oil, orange juice & zest, salt and cardamom. Whisk for good 2-3 minutes until everything is smooth and nicely combined.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the yogurt mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold the flour until all combined. Don’t over mix. Pour the cake batter into the prepped pan, it will be slightly runny.

Bake for 32-38 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Take the cake pan out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake carefully (its soft and moist) onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Slice and serve with whipped cream and fruits.

Enjoy!

Appetizers/Snacks

Parmesan Rosemary Shortbread

12/16/202012/16/2020 TanviLeave a comment

My first taste of parmesan crackers was many years ago through a holiday cookie basket we received and I loved them instantly. Could have something to do with the fact that I dont have a huge sweet tooth and I love love savory biscuits(cookies) of any kind.

These shortbread need a handful of ingredients. Flour butter, parmesan cheese and cashews is all of you need besides rosemary if you want to use, though it can be skipped altogether.

These are super crumbly, very cheesy and with some crisp wine, an absolute delight on the holiday table. You can use a mix of parmesan or romano if you want, but you do need a combination of sharp tangy cheeses.

Add a savory touch to your cookie boxes with these or use them on your cheeseboards, they are great for snacking as well.

Recipe

Ingredients (Makes 22-24 crackers)

110 gms salted butter, softened but not melting
110 gms flour
100 gms grated parmesan cheese (grated super fine)
25 gms fine powdered cashews (use your spice grinder to grind raw cashews, you can use almonds as well, sieve to make sure powder is fine)
1 tbsp fine chopped rosemary
1 tsp sugar

Method

Place all the ingredients in your food processor fitted with dough(plastic) blade. Please make sure that the butter is soft else the dough will not form. Since we are not using any wet ingredients, butter helps in binding the dough.

Start the processor on low speed. Slowly everything will mix together and in about a minute or so, a soft (but not sticky at all) dough will form around the blade. You can pulse a few times towards the end once it starts clumping around the blade.

Dump the dough on your work surface and gently knead it for half a minute to form into a ball. Dont knead too much. Dont squeeze the dough. Please keep in mind that if you working with dough during summers or in warm regions, you will need to refrigerate it frequently if you feel its getting too soft.

Divide the dough into two and shape each half into a log. Wrap each log in a cling film and refrigerate for atleast 2 hours. The longer you refrigerate, the better the flavors are. These logs can be kept in the fridge for 2 days and frozen for a month.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F. Take the logs out of the fridge and using a sharp knife, slice into 1/3 inch rounds. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet and refrigerate again for 10 mins.

Bake for 11-12 minutes till they are just beginning to brown. Pull the cookie sheet out and let cook for 10 mins on the sheet itself before transferring to a rack. Store in an air tight container for 2-3 weeks.

Enjoy!

Breads/Flatbreads · Brunch

Masala Buns – Eggless,Whole Wheat Buns with a Spicy Filling

08/27/201107/20/2020 Tanvi82 Comments

Featured on Foodbuzz Top 9

Baking is totally sweet.Its therapeutic and always gives me a high.The same is not true when baking with yeast though. I feel that my fears of working with yeast were mostly because of inexperience. The unknown is always baffling.The acme of perfection that I wanted to achieve when handling yeast, mostly met with frustration of it acting foes. My dough would never rise, my yeast would cling to each other and turn into a lumpy mess. Dont even talk about the amount of food I wasted when I wanted to tame it in my own kitchen.The wastage was followed by days of agony. Whenever I wanted to make yeasted breads , I finished making something else. I could not overcome the thought of cups of flour & eggs making their way into the bin.I saw a recipe for a flaky pastry or loaf in a book, I flipped the page as soon as I read yeast in there. All along my heart felt an overload of running away from the difficult.

Over a period of time, I realized that yeast is not that monstrous as I always guessed it. It needs patience to start with. Half of your battle is won there. The second half is of course practice – lots of it.I am the person who has none of the former but lot of will for the latter. Its like baby steps to learning towards perfecting the fungi. You have to give it attention and love.Even when you knead it, caress it. When it comes to yeast, in my kitchen, my motto is to try simple recipes & make them shine. I dream of baking those perfect looking breads with visible pores and all. I will make it there someday. Right now, my moment of joy is when my mini buns and rolls fluff up in the warm weather I m blessed with these days – so far so good 🙂

I mentioned in my previous post that “Masala” is a generic term for anything spicy in Indian cuisine. Well, on similar lines, masala buns are buns with a spicy filling. I first tasted them in one of the bakeries near my college.I dont even remember how many books I have crammed eating these little beauties…oh boy..did I tell you that they give best(est) company to a cup of sweet masala chai. P calls the combo “double masala” …and it sure is. Spicy filling cushioned within doughy wrap along with sips of sweetish spiced up chai – yum!

I have tried to make these spicy savory buns in the healthiest way possible – using durum atta (whole wheat flour) which is the variety of flour rich is wheat bran.You can get it in indian stores and read about it here. I added Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) & ajwain (carrom) which are super aromatic indian flavorings if you can lay your hands on them, else add some fennel or cumin seeds. By the way, Kasuri methi is something which is the secret behind those aromatic indian butter chicken and other curries- It lasts forever in the kitchen so you might wanna stock up! Fill the buns with anything you want, I filled them with a spicy potato & vegetable filling. These eggless buns are great for breakfast or casual snacking. These buns can be baked in advance & pair up with indian tomato soup to make a lazy day brunch.

Method:-

Ingredients (Makes 12-14 buns)

For the buns:-

1.5 cup durum atta (whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ajwain (carrom seeds)
1.5 tsp kasuri methi, fine crushed between palms (dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil (substitute with melted unsalted butter)
1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup luke warm milk
1/2 cup luke warm water (or as required for kneading the dough)
Melted unsalted butter for brushing
Flour for dusting

For the filling :- (Makes 1.5 cups)

2 medium boiled potatoes, slightly mashed (but with little chunks)
1/2 cup colored bell peppers of choice, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2 scallions, white & green parts chopped separated
1 fat garlic clove, grated
3 – 4 Thai green chillies, finely chopped (adjust to tolerance)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:-

In a bowl, add the flours along with crushed kasuri methi. Sift this flour mix once. Add ajwain (carrom seeds) to the sifted flour and set aside.
Dissolve sugar in luke warm milk, add yeast and set aside till frothy. Note:-If you dont see foam within 30 seconds of dissolving the yeast,discard the mix & restart.
While the yeast is frothing, in a large bowl (enough to hold doubled up dough after rise), tip in the salt.Top it up with sifted flour, olive and foamy yeast paste [ in this order].
Start mixing in lukewarm water till everything comes together. Note :- Start with 1/4 cup of water to begin with. Once a loose dough ball starts to come together, transfer the dough to a floured surface, and continue kneading for 5-8 minutes till you get a soft, elastic dough.While kneading , if you feel that the dough is on the dry side, add a tablespoon (s)of water, if you feel it sticky, add some flour to bring it together.
Brush some oil on all sides of the bowl, and once kneaded, transfer the dough back to the bowl.Brush some oil on the top of the dough ball, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm, dry place for 1-1.5 hours to rise.

While the Dough is rising

Make the Masala/Spicy Filling:-

In a pan, heat up the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped white parts of scallions and saute for 4-5 minutes on high.
Next, add the garlic along with chopped green chillies.Saute for 30 seconds or till you smell the aroma.
Next add all the vegetables along with salt to taste, mix well & reduce heat to medium and let cook for 10 minutes, uncovered till the peppers and peas are tender.
Remove from heat and while still hot, add the chopped green scallion parts, cumin powder, garam masala and lemon juice.Mix well and set aside to cool.

Stuffing the buns & Baking:-

Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead again for 3-4 minutes on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls.Roll out each ball using a rolling pin into a 2″ circle. Spoon about 1.5 tbsp of Masala filling into the centre of each dough circle and pinch all sides to make a stuffed dough ball.Smear the pinched ball all over with oil and line on the baking sheet, pinched side down. Line the balls atleast 3 ” away from each other so that they do not touch each other when they rise. You may use more than 1 baking sheet (if required) to line the dough balls.Let rise in a warm place for 15 more minutes.

While the stuffed balls are rising, preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.Bake the risen balls for 13-15 minutes or till they are light brown in color and you smell the aroma of baked dough & kasuri methi.Mine took 15 minutes. Once light brown, brush melted butter on the balls and bake for another 3-4 minutes till the tops turn golden brown.Pull out the baking sheet and using a pair of tongs, transfer the baked buns to the cooling rack. Cool slightly and serve warm with tomato ketchup. mango mint chutney, green chutney & masala chai.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

Desserts/Baking

Strawberry-Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

01/27/201101/21/2014 Tanvi98 Comments

Update 05/31/2011

This recipe was featured on 100 ways to use Strawberries at Endless Simmer.

Update 05/14/2011

Another reader successfully tried this recipe.See here.The blog is in a non-english language so I could not read it but the picture says it all.Thank you LILLA!

Update: 03/05/2011

These cookies were tried by 3 people I know of who came back and told me about their experience.I m linking them here and here. One of the bakers, Mindy commented on the post herself that they turned out good for her. But for Rachelle, it didnt work out fine.I am adding these feedbacks to help those people who want to try out this recipe.Thanks everyone.Your suggestions are always welcome.

What I need: [Makes 22 cookies of the size shown][updated]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter [softened]
7 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder [use aluminium free]
pinch of salt
3 tbsp thick crushed fresh strawberry mix [homemade by crushing strawberries with 1 tsp of milk [if required]+2 drops of red food color] [the quantity of strawberry mix will vary depending upon the consistency,please be judgemental]
Nutella [for filling]

How I did it:

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.Set aside.
In another bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar using a hand-held mixer for about 4 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and crushed strawberry to the bowl and combine well with the butter mixture using a whisk.
Fold in the flour mixture with the butter mixture gently to form a dough.The dough will be soft and a little sticky but not loose.Do not over mix. You might need to oil your hands and bring the dough together.
Once combined, cover the dough with a plastic cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.
Line your cookie sheet with a parchment paper.

Take out the refrigerated dough,lightly oil your palms and make small balls with it.Put the balls on the cookies sheet and press down slightly to flatten out.

With the help of your thumb or back of a tea-spoon make a small hole in the middle of the cookies where u ll fill the nutella after baking.
If at this point you feel that the butter in the cookies is melting, refrigerate again for about 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies in the oven for about 8-12 minutes or untill the bottom starts turning brown. Mine took 10 minutes exact.Do not bake them beyond 12 mins.These will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.
Take out the cookie sheet from the oven and using the teaspoon again press out the hole in the cookies.You will not be able to do this after the cookies have cooled.
Once the cookies have cooled, fill in the nutella in the little holes in the cookies.
Serve with cold milk.

I have adjusted these from a basic recipe here .Notes:

The consistency of strawberry mix is of real importance.Make a thick, almost paste like mix in your processor/blender.If some bits remain, it does not matter but the mix should not be runny or watery.
The color of cookies/dough can differ depending on how red your strawberries are.I chopped off the white portions and used red part only.
I made my cookies less sweet because with nutella filling they could be very overwhelming.
The dough can be slightly difficult to work with,but refrigerate and it will be manageable.
Since every oven is different, the time of baking may vary from appliance to appliance.
You can fill in the cookies with any jam or melted chocolate chips too.

Enjoy! Have a nice weekend everyone.

Sending these to Culinary Smackdown Battle-Cookies