Nankhatai is a popular Indian shortbread cookie or biscuit. It makes a perfect tea-time snack and is enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Nankhatai is a no-egg cookie which is soft, light, crispy to bite, and melts in the mouth. It is easy to make at home in the oven for a large batch, or in the air fryer for a smaller batch.
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What is nankhatai made of?
This is an eggless recipe for making nankhatai and that too without any baking soda.
The main ingredients of homemade nankhatai cookies are all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, ghee, chickpea flour (besan), semolina, and some cardamom powder for flavor.
Icing sugar can be used or you can make powdered sugar in a blender like Vitamix.
For consistent results, it is best to weigh all the ingredients while making nankhatai cookies using a digital food scale.
How to make nankhatai dough?
To make light, fluffy, and crispy nankhatai, the first step is to whisk ghee and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. You can use a hand whisk or a hand blender with a whisk attachment for blending.
It is key to blend ghee and sugar well, else the nankhatai can end up being denser. After blending, add all the flour and cardamom powder and make a soft dough.
Bind everything into a soft dough ball, there is no need to knead the dough but to bind it well, ensuring it does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Divide the dough into small pieces of about 20-25 grams each. Roll each piece into a ball by rolling it in between your palms and then press it to flatten it.
Make a small indentation in the center of the dough ball with a fork or a butter knife. This ensures that nankhatai does not bulge out from the center but bakes well from all sides.
How to make nankhatai in oven?
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place all the nan khatai dough balls in the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave some space between the cookie dough balls as they will expand while baking.
Bake the cookies for about 15-18 minutes until they start becoming golden brown on the edges. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down completely before serving or storing, else they can break.
How to make nan khatai in air fryer?
Nankhatai can be made in the air fryer equally easily. It takes much less time to make a batch of nan khatai in the air fryer compared to the oven and might be a good option when making a smaller batch.
Preheat the air fryer to 330 °F and place the dough balls in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper. Air fryer the nankhatai for 8 minutes until the sides start becoming golden brown in color.
Remove the basket and allow the cookies to cool down before taking them out from the basket, else they will break.
How to store nankhatai?
Nankhatai, just like most cookies, is stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. They stay good for up to a month.
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📖 Recipe
Nan Khatai - Indian Cookies
Equipment
- Convection Oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ghee
- 1 cup Organic cane sugar (powdered, or icing sugar)
- 2 cup All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Chickpea flour (besan)
- ¼ cup Semolina
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add ghee and powdered sugar.
- Blend sugar and ghee mixture using a hand blender whisk attachment on low speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix them into a soft dough using a spatula.
- Make small balls of about 20 grams each and flatten them between your palms.
Bake nan khatai in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F with the rack at mid-level.
- Place the flattened dough balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the nan khatai cookies in the oven for 15-18 minutes until the edges start becoming slightly golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool down completely before serving.
Make nan khatai in an air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 330 °F
- Place the flattened dough balls in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper.
- Air fry for 8 minutes on 330 °F.
- Remove the basket and allow the cookies to cool down before taking them out of the air fryer basket. (else they can break)
Vi says
When do you add tge fruit/candy decoration?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Vi,
I have just added it on top after baking them and once they cooled. But you can add it on top and then bake them.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa