Nankhatai Eggless Shortbread Cookies

My mom always bought us Indian cookies from the desi grocery store – Punjabi Jeera Biscuits, Atta Biscuits, Nankhatai, and how can anyone forget the classic Parle-G biscuits? These cookies pair beautifully with masala chai, hence why they’re a favorite for most Indian households – we love our chai. What I love about Indian cookies is they’re light and not loaded with sugar.

What are Nankhatai Cookies?

Nankhatai biscuits are buttery with a hint of cardamom and simply delicious. My version of Nankhatai is made with a touch of rosewater and almond flour, and thus you can call these Rose Almond Nankhatai Cookies. The rosewater and cardamom combo is a classic pairing when it comes to Indian desserts. Enjoy them with a cup of tea.

Why You’ll Love Nankhatai Cookies

Eggless cookies Indian shortbread cookies Butter Cookies Made with simple ingredients Easy to prepare Flavored with cardamom and rose water They’re perfect with a cup of tea Pretty cookies for any event – Diwali, Bridal Shower, Baby Shower, Mother’s Day

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour – A cup of all-purpose flour or white flour is needed for this recipe. Almond Flour – Traditionally speaking, almond flour is not used for Nankhatai, but I love the nutty flavor of this flour. You can also use almond meal. Salt – A pinch of salt brings out the flavor of this cookie. Baking Soda Cardamom Powder Butter – You can use ghee or butter for this recipe, but I prefer the flavor of butter to ghee. Rose Extract – I used this rose water extract – a little bit goes a long way. Powdered Sugar – You will need powdered sugar, not cane sugar for this recipe. Ghee – Just a teaspoon of ghee is needed to bind the dough. Pistachios & Almonds – Chop the nuts and add them to the cookie just prior to baking.

How to make Nankhatai Cookies recipe

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cardamom powder. Mix and set aside.
In a large bowl, add room-temperature butter.
Cream the butter until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and rose water. Blend the mixture until light and creamy.
Now add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 batches. Using an electric mixer, mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
This is what you should have – the result will be a crumbly mixture.
Now using your hands, form a dough. This should only take about 1-2 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the almonds and pistachios.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the mixture is out of the fridge, add a teaspoon of ghee and knead the dough for a minute.
Now using a mini-scoop, you’ll need 1 1/2 mini-scoops to form the cookie dough balls.
Roll them up and place them on a greased baking sheet tray.
Using a sharp knife, form a kris cross pattern on each cookie.
Top each cookie ball with the chopped nut mixture. Place into the oven for 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Do NOT overbake these.
Out of the oven. The cookies will still be soft to the touch, but they will cool and harden. Enjoy these Indian butter cookies with a cup of tea.

Substitutions

Almond Flour – instead of almond flour, you may substitute chickpea flour (besan). Pistachios / Almonds – if you have a nut allergy, simply omit nuts, including almond flour. Butter – if you’d like a richer cookie or prefer the taste of ghee, use ghee in place of butter.