Nankhatai Recipe
Nankhatai are crumbly, buttery Indian shortbread cookies with a tender melt-in-the-mouth texture. Made with just 7 ingredients, these eggless cookies are delicately flavored with cardamom and are wonderfully easy to make.
These delicious butter cookies are a classic Indian treat. They pair perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee. They also make a lovely addition to a festive cookie platter!
For more Indian-inspired tea-time treats, try my murmura chivda, masala roasted nuts, shankarpali, and rose pistachio cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is an easy homemade nankhatai recipe. It needs no special equipment or complicated steps.
- Nankhatai are made for afternoon tea, especially when spiced with homemade chai masala. They’re just as good with a hot cup of coffee.
- You can easily customize nankhatai with different nuts and spices.
- Pack these little buttery treats into a cookie tin, and they make a lovely homemade gift for the festive season or the holidays.
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: All-purpose flour provides structure, while semolina (sooji) adds crunch, giving these cookies a lovely crumbly and crunchy bite. If you don't have semolina, substitute the same amount of all-purpose flour.
Sugar: Use fine granulated sugar rather than coarse granulated sugar, as it dissolves nicely into the dough.
Fat: Ghee (clarified butter) is pure fat with no water. It gives eggless nankhatai biscuits a rich, crumbly texture and nutty flavor. Use soft, semi-solid ghee, not melted ghee, or the cookies may spread in the oven. Unsalted softened butter also works well.
Cardamom gives nankhatai their signature warm, floral flavor. Freshly ground cardamom is especially fragrant.
Nuts: I used finely chopped pistachios for a pop of color and crunch.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Flour: Chickpea flour (besan) adds a lovely nuttiness and delicate texture you'll love in homemade nankhatai cookies. You can also use almond meal. The color of the nankhatai does change based on the flour mixture you use.
Spices: Soak a few strands of saffron in a teaspoon of warm milk, as I did for my saffron cheesecake, and add it to the dough. You can also use vanilla, nutmeg or rose water (like I did with my rose shortbread cookies).
Thandai flavor: Add a teaspoon of thandai spice mix to make thandai flavored nankhatai, as I did for my thandai shortbread cookies.
Chocolate Nankhatai: Swap 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour for cocoa powder. Chocolate and cardamom are surprisingly lovely together.
How To Make Nankhatai
Recipe Video
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream ghee and sugar in a large bowl till light and fluffy.
Step 2: Stir in all purpose flour, semolina/ sooji, and cardamon powder.
Step 3: Combine well and refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes for the dough to firm a bit.
Step 4: Shape the chilled dough into small balls and flatten them slightly. Place on the prepared tray.
Step 5: Using a knife, make a criss cross pattern on each cookie. Top the cookies with cardamom powder and chopped pistachios.
Step 6: Bake for 15-16 minutes. They will be very pale and soft, allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the tray. They will harden up as they cool.
Pro Tips
- Use room temperature soft, semi-solid ghee, not melted ghee.
- You can also use butter to make nankhatai. Though unsalted butter is recommended, I do use salted one sometimes.
- Use fine granulated sugar or powdered sugar. Regular granulated sugar will not dissolve as easily.
- The dough should be soft and smooth. If its too dry and crumbly, add more ghee, a teaspoon at a time.
- Don't skip chilling the dough! This is very important. We need the ghee to solidify so the cookies stay flaky, buttery and don't spread out too much while baking.
- The criss cross cut on the cookies helps them expand nicely in the oven, giving them their characteristic cracks.
- Don't overbake these Indian butter cookies. They will be pale and soft when out of the oven, but they firm up as they cool.
- Allow the nankhatai to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
What is nankhatai?
These eggless shortbread cookies take their name from the Persian word "naan" meaning bread and "khatai", an Afghan word for biscuits. They’re similar to butter cookies but typically have a more crumbly, delicate texture and are flavored with cardamom.
Why did my nankhatai become flat?
This usually happens when the ghee is too soft or melted, or when the dough is too warm. Chilling firms up the ghee and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
How should I store nankhatai biscuits?
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
More Easy Butter Cookies
Recipe
Nankhatai Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Ghee, at room temperature and in a semi-solid state
- 1/2 cup Fine sugar
- 1 1/4 cup All purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Semolina/ sooji
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder Plus extra for sprinkling on top
- 2 tsp Pistachio, finely chopped For sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Cream ghee and sugar in a large bowl till light and fluffy.1/2 cup Ghee, 1/2 cup Fine sugar
- Stir in the all-purpose flour, semolina, cardamom powder, and salt. Combine well using a spatula and then use your hands to bring the dough together. 1 1/4 cup All purpose flour, 1/3 cup Semolina/ sooji, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Cardamom powder
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. This is very important. If the dough is not chilled, the cookies will turn out flat and greasy.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Shape the chilled dough into small balls and flatten them slightly.
- Place them on the cookie sheet. Make criss-cross cuts on each dough ball using a knife. Sprinkle some cardamom powder and chopped pistachios on top. Bake for 15-16 minutes at 180 C / 350 F. The cookies will be soft but will firm up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use room-temperature soft, semi-solid ghee, not melted ghee.
- You can also use butter to make nankhatai. Though unsalted butter is recommended, IÂ do use salted one sometimes.
- Use fine granulated sugar or powdered sugar. Regular granulated sugar will not dissolve as easily.
- The dough should be soft and smooth. If it's too dry and crumbly, add more ghee, a teaspoon at a time.
- Don't skip chilling the dough! This is very important. We need the ghee to solidify so the cookies stay flaky, buttery, and don't spread out too much while baking.
- The criss-cross cut on the cookies helps them expand nicely in the oven, giving them their characteristic cracks.
- Don't overbake these Indian butter cookies. They will be pale and soft when out of the oven, but they firm up as they cool.
- Allow the nankhatai to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Hi Natasha if I want to add Nutella or coco pdr what shd be the proportion.
Natasha Author
Hi Rekha, I haven't tried making chocolate khatais. But I'd say you can add 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder and take out the same quantity of all-purpose flour. I'm not sure about Nutella. Maybe you can add 2-3 tbsp after you've beaten the butter and sugar.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Tasha.
What shd be the proportion if I want to use both — sooji and besan. With the white flour.
Natasha Author
Hi Rekha, you can use 1/4 cup besan, 1/3 cup sooji along with 1 cup all-purpose flour. Hope this helps.:)
If I am using ghee, how much should I use ?
Natasha Author
Hi Purnima, the recipe says 150 gms of butter, so I would use the same amount of ghee. I haven't tried it though as this recipe, as is, has been working rather well for me. Please make sure your ghee is in a semi-solid state. Hope this helps. Happy baking:)
You didn’t use baking powder! Is it not necessary in this recipe?
Natasha Author
Hi Priyal, that's right, this recipe does not need baking powder. 🙂
I can almost already taste these! I'd love it if you shared it at our What's for Dinner party!
Natasha Author
Hi Helen, Thanks so much! I'd love to share it:) xoxo