Nankhatai: Indian Shortbread Cookies
Hi Foodies! How are you doing today? I bet you’re eagerly waiting for Diwali to indulge in delicious treats. I am too.
In fact I have a question for you. What’s your favourite part of Diwali? Mine is when we light up the lamps at home in the evening and we start visiting the neighbors to offer the sweets we made with so much love.
Now let’s go back to Nankhatai. These crunchy cookies are made with flour and semolina (also known as greo in Mauritius). There are many Nankhatai recipes out there but this one never failed. This is my mom’s foolproof recipe for delicious, crunchy Nankhatai that can be stored for 6 weeks in an airtight container. That’s right, you don’t even need to store them in the fridge.
I am also adding a video for this delicious indian shortbread cookies so that you can follow along. It’s all a matter of precision and technique. Personally, I don’t make them often but my mom does and she’s got the hang of it better than I do. Which is why, she’s the one demonstrating (in the video) how we shape them into gorgeous cookies.
Our Nankhatai have these cracks on top that are normal. That’s how we make them and how we like them. We hope that you have a delightful Diwali and enjoy these Nankhatai as much as we do,
As a child, I used to help in shaping these cookies and when they would be baking, the kitchen would be filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies and I would be very impatient. I would be the first to taste them while they were just out of the oven. Sometimes I would burn my tongue but I didn’t learn my lesson yet
Here’s how to make very crunchy and tasty nankatai.
Nankhatai
Equipment
- 1 Grinder
- 1 Large mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Semolina Flour/Greo
- 1 and 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar Grind till thin powder
- 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 1 and 1/2 Cup Ghee melted
Instructions
- Mix flour, semolina flour, baking powder in a large bowl. Add sugar and cardamom.
- In the bowl, make a small well and pour the ghee. careful as it can be hot. Mix with your hands.
- Shape into cookies/nankatai.
- Bake in a preheated oven. Bake at 160C for 30 to 35 minutes
Looking for other Diwali sweets? Our Magai is a must-try. the only issue is that it’s super addictive! We also have a Banana Barfi that is so nice or our health Chickpea Ladoos packed with chickpeas and lower in refined sugar.
Our refined sugar-free options are perfect for those who can’t consume refined sugar. Try these indulging Mango Barfi.