Crumbly and Nutty, Nankhatai (indian shortbread) are one of the most popular indian cookies that can be made with pantry staples. This recipe will help you make melt in the mouth badam nankhatai using just 5-6 ingredients. These nankhatai pair perfectly with a cup of chai.
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. I often make nankhatai for my kids. I make them with besan(gram flour) only, or sometimes with a mix of different flours like all purpose & semolina. There are truly so many combinations of flours and flavors possible.
Eggless Indian Cookies
Nankhatai are popular not just in India but in the entire indian subcontinent. These traditional indian cookies are eggless and unleavened(no baking soda or baking powder is used). The texture of nankhatai is unique- its crumbly, soft and mouthful. They should be crisp outside but still have a melt in the mouth centre. They are super easy to make needing no special equipment or ingredients and make for a good treat anytime.
Different Flours & Flavors
There are many ways nankhatai are made in india. The recipe differs from home to home and region to region.
- Most common way to make nankhatai is using maida(all purpose flour) and semolina. Semolina gives them the typical crispy texture
- Using only besan, chickpea flour. These are my favorite kind.
- Some people use ragi flour.
- At bakeries they use dalda (shortening) instead of ghee.
- Flavorwise, cardamom and nutmeg are the most common. Saffron and rose are used as well.
- Some people add egg yolks for richness.
These colorful nankhatai are my base recipe for nankhatai. Since I am making them for Holi, I dyed the dough with food colors and flavored them with thandai masala. You can use the same recipe for traditional nankhatai and use cardamom powder and pinch of nutmeg for flavor.
What Makes A Good Nankhatai?
My grandmother used to describe good nankhatai as ones which are "thodi khas-khasi aur ghee ki khushboo wali" Meaning a perfect nankhati would be
- Khasta (crisp & flaky) and gritty in texture
- Have aroma and taste of ghee in every bite
- Rich and fragrant
- If you pick up a nankhatai, crumbs should stick to your fingers, indicating that it has right amount of ghee.
- Nutty flavor (from besan or nut powders)
- Should be thick and have cracks.
Use Only Desi Ghee
To make a crumbly, khasta nankhatai use ghee and only ghee. You can use homemade ghee or store bought. There is a reason that these cookies are termed shortbread - only made with fat (ghee), flour and sugar. Thats all. Ghee adds flavor and texture. Don't substitute ghee with butter, shortening, milk or yogurt. Butter has a higher moisture content and you will not get the same results.
Consistency of Ghee:- This brings us to the most important thing - consistency of ghee. Ghee should be softened, it should not be melting or runny. It should be similar to really softened butter. One of the ways to check is by pressing the ghee with your finger, you should be able to make an impression.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Desi Ghee - Due to its low moisture content, it makes the nankhatai crispy and makes them taste so nutty.
- Powdered or Icing Sugar- Please dont use granulated or sugar simply ground at home. Store bough powdered sugar has a little bit of cornstarch which helps in the texture of the cookies.
- All Purpose Flour
- Chickpea flour
- Almond Flour- Super fine ground almonds. I use ready to use blanched almonds. You can simply grind the almonds at home and use.
- Thandai Masala Or Cardamom Powder- Or any flavors you want to add.
How To Make Nankhatai
You dont need a mixer or special tools. Just a large bowl, a sifter (channi/sieve) and a soft spatula. If you dont have a spatula, use your hands.
- To a large bowl, add softened ghee and sugar. Using a spatula, cream the ghee and sugar together. It takes about 4-5 minutes till the ghee and sugar looks pale and fluffy like buttercream.
- Sieve maida, besan and ground almonds over the creamed ghee. Add the Thandai Masala.
- At first, mix with spatula. Slowly the flour will start absorbing the ghee and the mixture will look very crumbly. Hang on and keep combining. Don't be tempted to add more ghee.
- Once the mixture looks like moist sand granules, use your hands to bring it together into a soft dough. Work with gentle hands. Don't knead. You can shape the nankhatai right away if you dont want to add colors.
- To make colorful nankhatai, divide the dough into four equal parts in seperate bowls. Add colors of choice to different portions. Mix well and chill the dough.
- Rolls the colored dough into smooth, crack free balls. Moisten your hands with ghee if needed.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press down with an almond into the center of each. Chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake the nankhatai till bottoms are light golden.
My Tips
- Feel The Dough :- Work the dough with hands, feel it. It should feel soft (but not sticky).The dough should come together in a ball and it should be soft yet firm. If it sticking to your hands or appears loose, that means that you added more ghee and this will make the cookies spread too much when they bake. Add a little flour to firm up the dough.
- Troubleshooting:-
- If while making the dough feels dry, add a little (1-2 teaspoons) ghee. If you feel that the dough is very soft and your hands feel sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour. This nankhatai recipe is very forgiving and it is perfect for beginners.
- You will need to refrigerate the dough a few times if you are making this recipe during summertime. The dough should not look shiny at any time.
- Nut powder- If you have allergies or are making it for someone with, you can skip almond flour and substitute it with equal quantity of semolina or flour. You can use any kind of ground nuts in this recipe as long as the quantity remains same. Ground cashews or pistachios work great.
- Scaling - Easily halve or double this recipe.
- Food Coloring :- Since we are dyeing the dough, good quality colors will make sure that there is no bitter aftertaste, which can sometimes happen with food coloring. I use vegan gel food colors.
- Chilling - Chilling the cookies after shaping is recommended for a thick nankhatai with cracks. If you won't chill, the cookies will be flatter since they will spread.
- Cooling :- Once the nankhatai are baked, pull the baking sheet out and leave it untouched for 15 minutes. The nankhatai are very soft right after baking and they will break if you touch or transfer them right away.
Storage
Store cooled nankhatai in a air tight container for upto 2 weeks.
Freezing the nankhatai dough:- You can shape the dough and then layer the balls in a single layer on a sheet and let freeze. Once frozen, add them to a ziplock bag and store for upto 1 month. When you want to bake, thaw for 30-45 minutes on the kitchen counter, press an almond in center and bake.
More Shortbread Cookies to try
Thandai Spiced Nankhatai
Equipment
- Mixing bowls, cookie sheet, measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
For The Nankhatai
- 150 g all purpose flour
- 50 g besan
- 40 g finely ground almond powder
- 140 g powdered sugar
- 150-160 g ghee, not melted softene, adjust quantity as needed
- Thandai spice powder (recipe below)
Thandai Masala
- 1 tsp (8-10) black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
- Few dried rose petals
- 3-4 saffron strands
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
- Add all the thandai spices to a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.
- To a large bowl, add softened ghee and sugar. Using a spatula, cream the ghee and sugar together. It takes about 4-5 minutes till the ghee and sugar looks pale and fluffy like buttercream.
- Place a sieve and add all purpose flour, almond flour and besan. Sieve. You can push using a spoon to make sure that there are no lumps.Add the Thandai Masala.
- At first, mix with spatula. Slowly the flour will start absorbing the ghee and the mixture will look very crumbly. Mix very well, we want to moisten each and every speck of flours with ghee- makes for a flaky nankhatai. Hang on and keep combining. Don't be tempted to add more ghee right now.
- Once the mixture looks like moist sand granules, use your hands to bring it together into a soft dough. Adjust softened ghee now if needed. Add very little to begin with, maybe ½ tablsepoon. Work with gentle hands. Don't knead or squeeze. The dough should not feel loose or sticky. If needed due to warm weather, refrigerate the dough to make handling easier.
- You can shape the nankhatai right away if you dont want to add colors.
- To make colorful nankhatai, divide the dough into four equal parts in seperate bowls. Add colors of choice to different portions. Mix very well.
- Work with one colored dough at a time else the cookies may get spotty. You can wear gloves if you wish while rolling them. Pinch small portions (these spread a bit) of the dough and place on a baking sheet lined with paper.
- Press a raw almond on top or any nut of choice. If you dont want to use nuts, make a small indentation with your thumb in the center. This helps in flatter shape and cracks when nankhatai bake.
- Refrigerate for 10 minutes(dont skip). Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325F.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes till the bottoms are light golden in color.
- Once the nankhatai are baked, pull the baking sheet out and leave it untouched for 15 minutes. The nankhatai are very soft right after baking and they will break if you touch or transfer them right away.
- Once a little cooled, transfer with a help of spatula to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel The Dough :- Work the dough with hands, feel it. It should feel soft (but not sticky).The dough should come together in a ball and it should be soft yet firm. 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. Add little flour to firm up the dough.
- Troubleshooting:-
- If while making the dough feels dry, add a little (1-2 teaspoons) ghee. If you feel that the dough is very soft and your hands feel oily, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour. This nankhatai recipe is very forgiving and it is perfect for beginners.
- You will need to refrigerate the dough a few times if you are making this recipe during summertime. The dough should not look shiny at any time.
- Nut powder- If you have allergies or are making it for someone else, you can skip almond flour and substitute it with equal quantity of flour. You can use any kind of ground nuts in this recipe as long as the quantity remains same. Ground cashews or pistachios work great.
- Scaling - Easily halve or double this recipe.
- Food Coloring :- Since we are dyeing the dough, good quality colors will make sure that there is no bitter aftertaste, which can sometimes happen with food coloring.
- Chilling - Chilling the cookies after shaping is recommended for a thick nankhatai with cracks. If you won't chill, the cookies will be flatter since they will spread.
- Cooling :- Once the nankhatai are baked, pull the baking sheet out and leave it untouched for 15 minutes. The nankhatai are very soft right after baking and they will break if you touch or transfer them right away.
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