Nankhatai recipe with saffron and cardamom flavor for Diwali. These melt in mouth crumbly cookies with brilliant saffron flavor is your best bet to swoon the guests! Pack it pretty and these cookies will be the best edible gift ever. Here is how you can make nankatai recipe with step by step photos.
What Is Nankhatai?
Nankhatai is the traditional Indian shortbread cookies made with plain flour, semolina and chickpea flour. The distinct feature of nankhatai is ghee is used to make these cookies instead of butter.
I mean authentic nan khatai recipe is made with plain flour, rava, besan and desi gee. However there are so many variations made these days with ingredients and flavor.
Here I have used plain flour, ghee and besan or gram flour to make nan khatai. For flavor I have used saffron, cardamom and a dash of my homemade milk masala powder.
A perfectly made nankhatai is crumbly, melt in mouth with full of ghee flavor. Just like traditional shortbread these cookies also don’t require baking powder or soda.
Nankhatai is one of the traditional Diwali snack made in India. You can pack these in boxes or tins and gift toyour friends and family.
How To Prepare Nankhatai?
To make nankhatai first of all begin with preheating the oven at 180 C or 325 F. Next powder the sugar and measure out 1/2 cup. Mix 1/2 cup ghee or clarified butter and whisk well. Whisk until light and creamy.
Soak1/8 teaspoon saffron in 2 teaspoons warm milk and keep it ready
To this ghee mixture add flour, chickpea flour or besan, corn flour, cardamom powder and milk masala powder. If you don’t have milk masala powder just substitute with plain flour or besan. Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the saffron milk and bring the dough together.
Pinch small balls and shape into cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool and store.
How To Prepare Nankhatai Without Oven?
To prepare nankhatai without oven you can use a thick pressure cooker base with stand. Spread crystal salt all over the pressure cooker base and place a stand.
Now heat the pressure cooker over low flame for 15 minutes just like we preheat oven. Prepare the dough for nankhatai as mentioned in the recipe.
Select a plate that will fit inside the cooker. Grease theplate well with ghee and place the shaped cookies in a single layer. Place the plate on the stand and close the cooker without gasket and weight. Cook in low flame for 15-18 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and cook more only if required.
Let cool before serving.
Recipe Notes and Tips For Best Nankhatai
Do not knead the dough too much. Just bring the dough together. If you knead hard the cookies will not be flaky and crumbly.
Adding chickpea flour or besan adds a very nice flavor to these cookies
The ghee should be semi solid and not melted or warm.
These cookies bake pretty fast. Keep an eye after 100 minutes to prevent burning.
Also the cookies will not a bit soft after 15 minutes. They will cool and turn crispy on cooling. So Stop baking once the color changes slightly.
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Kesar Nankhatai Recipe Step by Step
Preheat oven at 180 C. Soak 1/8 teaspoon saffron in 2 teaspoons warm milk.
Take ghee and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk very well with a hand whisk until light and creamy.
Add plain flour, corn flour, gram flour, milk masala powder, cardamom powder and mix well.
Add the saffron milk. Bring the dough together well.
Divide into 20 small balls and shape into cookies. Place chopped nuts on top if required.
Bake in the hot oven for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool thoroughly. Store airtight and serve nankhatai with coffee or tea.
More Saffron Recipes
Kesar Nankhatai Recipe
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ghee clarified butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon saffron
- 2 teaspoons warm milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons gram flour besan
- 2 tablespoons corn flour
- 2 tablespoons milk masala powder or powdered pistachio
- 10 almonds or pitschios sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 180 C. Soak 1/8 teaspoon saffron in 2 teaspoons warm milk.
- Take ghee and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk very well with a hand whisk until light and creamy.
- Add plain flour, corn flour, gram flour, milk masala powder, cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add the saffron milk. Bring the dough together well.
- Divide into 20 small balls and shape into cookies. Place chopped nuts on top if required.
- Bake in the hot oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool thoroughly. Store airtight and serve nankhatai with coffee or tea.
Farida Poonawala says
Very well written ..and described..thanks Harini.
Sonali says
Hello ma’am…thnku for d detailed recipe…it would be very kind of u if u can help me with my query…is it necessary to chill all cookies dough?? If not then how to decide which cookies should be refrigerated and which ones can be baked immediately
Shraddha says
Nice recipe will definitely try, could you please tell me whats the shelf life of these cookies?