Nankhatai Recipe (Indian/Pakistani Traditional Cookies)
These Pakistani and Indian nankhatai cookies have a crumbly shortbread texture bursting with a cardamom flavor. The texture is light and the edges of these cookies are crispy and golden. These cookies are made with ghee or clarified butter. You just cannot go wrong with these crunchy cookies. Do you like cookies? Try my my Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies, Butter Pecan Cookies, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies and Matcha Cookies recipes as well.
½cupghee (clarified butter) (100 g)at room temperature
¼ teaspoonbaking soda (1.25 g)
¼teaspoonsalt
½teaspooncardamom powder (1 g)
18 - 20 pistachios (whole)for decoration
1egg yolk
Instructions
Take a bowl and sift all-purpose flour, semolina, baking soda, salt and cardamom powder. Add castor sugar to the dry ingredients and whisk together.
Add the ghee to the dry ingredients and rub it together until a dough is formed. The dough should be soft and if you touch the finger it will leave a small dent.
Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 350 F once you are ready to bake the cookies.
Take out the dough out of the fridge and make small portions. Each portion should be 30 grams in weight.
The dough will make 19 cookies.
Take the balls between the palms of your hands and press it gently. Please the cookies in the baking tray.
Beat the egg and apply the egg-wash on each cookies with a pastry brush.
Now decorate the cookies by placing one pistachio on the top.
Place the baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 - 18 minutes until the edges of the nankhatais are light brown.
Once baked, take out the cookies and place them on the wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Soft Dough: Make sure the dough is smooth and a little soft. This soft dough is key in order to obtain the right texture and flaky biscuits.Ghee: The ghee should be in semi-solid state for these cookies. In case the ghee is melted or in a liquid state, place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it solidifies. At the same time, do not use cold or totally solidified ghee for nankhatais.Kneading: You do not want to knead the dough for long. This is not a bread dough that requires kneading. You just need to bring the dough together and that's it.