Nankhatai Recipe ( with wheat flour)

Nankhatai biscuits are Indian shortbread cookies made out of all-purpose flour, gram flour/besan, powdered sugar and ghee (clarified butter).

Today I have shared the recipe of making eggless nankhatai with wheat flour. The same recipe can be done will all-purpose flour too. Delicious, light and crisp are the best words to explain these biscuits.

Not only kids but also adults will be a big fan for this nankhatai biscuits. Though it can be made in different variations with different flour combination, the recipe I have shared below is very simple to make which gives crispy biscuits.

Semolina used in the recipe is optional but it gives nice crunchiness to the biscuits, so I recommend using it. The cardamom powder used good flavor. Powder the sugar and weigh it. Do not weigh the sugar and then powder it. Follow this step.

I have shared two ways of making nankhatai biscuits- in conventional oven and on the stove top. In both ways, the biscuits turn very crispy.

Do go through the whole process, make these biscuits at home and enjoy❤

INGREDIENTS

  • Wheat flour/all-purposeflour – 130 grams
  • Gram flour/besan- 70 grams
  • Powdered sugar- 130 grams
  • Semolina/suji- 2 tbsp
  • Ghee- 150 grams
  • Baking powder- 1 tsp
  • Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
  • Salt- 1/4th tsp
  • Grated pista/ almonds- as needed.

PROCEDURE

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sieve all the dry ingredients- wheat flour/ all-purpose flour, gram flour/besan, semolina, powdered sugar, baking powder, cardamom powder and salt.

Now add the ghee little by little and combine the flour together using ghee. Do not knead hard. Add ghee only as needed.
Just combine and bring the flour together using ghee. Add ghee as needed.
Nankhatai dough should be not be dry. Bind everything together.
Nankhatai dough is ready.
Now pinch a small ball and roll it inbetween your hands. Place a baking paper over baking tray.
This is the texture, how the nankhatai dough appears inside. I clicked to show that the dough should not be kneaded hard but combined together using ghee.
Equally shaped balls.
You can make your own shape with a fork. I pressed it in center down to make a depression using by finger.
Repeat to all the balls.
Fill it with grated pista/almonds in center.
Keep it in a preheated oven and bake it at 170 degree celsius for 15 to 17 minutes till the corners are fixed, top turns golden and cracks appear on top.

Once out from the oven. They are done and ready. Let them stay in baking tray for 5 minutes since it will get firm in the tray. Do not move it immediately. After 5 minutes, move it to cooling rack .
To make it on the stove top, take a pan, fill little water or salt in the bottom. Then place a stand on top. I didn’t refill water once it got over during cooking process. You can follow your own method of cooking in stovetop.
Grease a plate with ghee on top. Repeat the same process we followed in the conventional oven method. Keep the flame in low.
Cover it with a lid and cook it for 30 to 35 minutes in low flame. Check inbetween.
Ready. These cookies were also crispy.
Ready.

TIPS

  • Both wheat flour and all-purpose flour can be used.
  • Weigh the powdered sugar.
  • Just bind and combine the flour together using ghee. The final dough should be soft. Do not knead it hard.
  • The baking time varies from oven to oven. So keep an eye on the oven.