Nankhatai

Traditional eggless cookie made from flour and butter or ghee

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Nankhatai is an Indian eggless cookie/shortbread popularly served during teatime or as an evening snack. They are also made during special occasions and festivals like Diwali. Unlike many other cookies, these require very minimal ingredients that are already available in your pantry.

This recipe is said to originate from Surat in the 16th Century. When a certain Dutch bakery started losing it customers, it started selling selling dried bread at low price. Further experimentation led to the recipe of Nankhatai. The word “Nan” refers to bread and “Khatai” refer to biscuit.

Adding butter to this recipe makes the biscuit a melt-in-your mouth goodness. Traditionally served with evening tea or snacks, this treat later on evolved to becoming a favourite during festival, especially Diwali. Unfortunately, with the likes of commercial biscuits of Indian and foreign brands becoming popular, this traditional and simple delicacy is dying a slow death.

Check out some of our other recipes for Diwali like: Asoka Halwa , Namak Para, Paneer Gulkand Barfi

Nankhatai is can also be eaten as dessert at any time of the day.

4.80 from 5 votes

Nankhatai Recipe

Traditional eggless cookie made from flour and butter or ghee

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Cookies, Diwali special, Nankhatai

Ingredients for Nankhatai

• 4 Cups Wheat Flour
• 6 tbsp Maida
• 1 Cup Sugar
• ½ Cup Ghee melted
• 2 Cardamom
• 15 Pistachios (or any other nuts)
• a pinch Baking Powder

How to make Nankhatai

• Preheat the oven at 375F | 190C
• Powder the sugar and cardamon. Transfer to a bowl.
• Coarsely powder the pistachios for decoration.
• Add wheat flour, maida, powdered sugar and cardamom to a bowl. Add the baking powder and mix well.
• Gradually add ghee and mix well to a pliable dough.
• Do not add water.
• Make even sized balls and flatten them slightly.
• Dust a baking tray with little flour and grease it with ghee
• Place the prepared balls on the tray and make a cross pattern on top. Garnish with some pistachios.
• Place the tray into the preheated oven and bake until the nankhatais start changing colour to golden brown.
• Remove and allow them to cool and firm up
• Store them in an air tight container.
• Serve as a snack.

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