Nankhatai Recipe | Indian Shortbread Cookies | Egg-less Cookies

NanKhatai is cardamom flavored Indian Shortbread Cookies. Nankhatai cookies are light and crunchy. They are easy to make and can be baked in few minutes. These cookies are great to be served with evening tea and also great as edible gifts. I was introduced to these cookies, when a friend came over for dinner to our house brought these cookies. Since then I have been baking these cookies every now and then but it has never made it to the blog. Here I am posting it today- Nan Khatai Cookie recipe with chickpea flour, sooji and cardamom. 

Nan Khatai

Recipe Source : Manjula's Kitchen 

What are the ingredients needed?

All Purpose Flour, 1/3 cup

Sooji / Fine semolina, 1/3 cup

Chickpea flour/ Gram flour / Besan, 1/2 cup

Baking soda, a pinch

Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Cardamom seeds powder, 1/4 teaspoons 

Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature), 1/2 cup

Sugar, 2/3 cup

Chopped Nuts, as needed

Indian Shortbread Cookies

How it is made?

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare the baking sheet by lining it with parchment sheet.
3. In a bowl, combine together all purpose flour, sooji, besan along with baking soda, salt and cardamom powder and set it aside.
4. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until it is fluffy and then add the flour mixture little by little and knead it into a smooth dough.
5. Divide the dough equally into 24 balls. Then take a ball, slightly press it and using a fork make a criss-cross pattern and decorate it with chopped nuts. Slightly press it into the dough. Repeat the process for the rest of the balls. 
6. Arrange these cookies in the prepared baking tray with at least 2 inches gap between each cookies. Cookies tend to spread out. If there is not enough space, they might stick together.
7. Bake for about 15-17 minutes till they turn slightly golden. Then remove the cookies from the oven. They will be soft to touch now. So it cool for 2-3 minutes. Then transfer it to cooling rack. Let it cool completely then transfer it to air tight container. 
8. It yields around 24 cookies. 

Easy Eggless Nan khatai recipe

Notes:

• If the cardamom powder is not available, then take 5 cardamom pods, open the skin and remove the seeds and powder them with a tablespoon of sugar and use.
• You can use any nuts for decoration. I have used pistachios. 
• Baking time varies with each oven. Check yours accordingly.
• The number of cookies varies on the size you make.