Nankhatai is a popular sweet cookie cum snack recipe which is equally liked by kids as well as elders. It is a popular tea time dry snack and is easily available in most of the bakery shop's in India.
This sweet cookie can be easily made at home. In it's authentic recipe, ghee, semolina, maida, besan and sugar are used but in this recipe we have not added besan, instead we have used semolina (suji) as it gives crispy texture to cookie. For the fats, butter or gheee can be used. The cookies made of ghee taste the best and they lend unique aroma.
Cooking Time
Preparation Time :15 Min
Cook Time : 20 Min
Total Time : 35 Min
Ingredients
Serves : 20
1 cup + 2 tablespoons All purpose flour ( Maida )
2 tablespoons Semolina ( Suji )
1/2 cup Ghee or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 pinch of salt as per taste
1/2 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder
1 tablespoon Cashewnuts or any dryfruits for garnishing
Directions
To powder the sugar, grind it in a small jar of a mixer grinder. Sieve cup + 2 tablespoons of maida in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons semolina, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 pinch of salt
Mix them with the spoon
Take 1/2 cup ghee or unsalted butter and powdered sugar in another bowl. Beat the mixture nicely with the hand blender or a wire whisk until smooth and soft. Add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and beat again.
Add sieved dry ingredients in to the wet mixture and mix well using hand and make a soft dough. If the dough looks very greasy, add 1-2 tablespoons or as required more flour and mix well.
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit ( 180 degree Centigrade) for at least 10 mins. Divide dough into 20 equal portions and make round shaped balls. Place a parchment paper over a baking tray. Take each ball and press a little between your palms to give it a patty like shape and place it over the baking tray. Top each ball with chopped cashewnuts pressing gently with your finger. Keep enough space between each cookie as it will expand in size during baking.
Place baking tray in preheated oven and bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade )for around 18-20 minutes or until cookie starts to turn light golden in colour. After 15 minutes, check the cookies and keep an eye on it while further cooking ( as every oven has different settings, it may take little longer or shorter time)
Remove baking tray from the oven and transfer cookies over wire rack to cool down. At this point cookies will be soft but they will turn hard as they cool down. Once at a room temperature, transfer them in an airtight container for storage and consume them within 2 weeks.
