Light and flaky Nankhatai recipe that is flavored with cardamom and vanilla. An egg-free Indian shortbread recipe that will just melt away in your mouth!
Does this recipe ring a bell? Nankhatai Recipe from your favorite bakery shop. Growing up, we had a famous bakery shop in our neighborhood and the aroma of their freshly baked bread, warm pies and pastries would fill the air.
The heavenly smell of cinnamon rolls, muffins and cookies would lure us into that shop.
The sight of all their baked delights made me drool, and my dad and I never left the bakery shop without buying nankhatais. Memories never fade…. feeling nostalgic. 😕
WONDERING WHAT DOES KHASTA MEAN?
Khasta is a term used for ‘light and flaky shortbread cookies,’ and this nankhatai/ shortbread or biscuits are –
- buttery,
- rich
- crisp
- crumbly and
- incredibly delicious!
The cookies aren’t too sweet and are perfect for any occasion!
SECRET TO A CRISPY NANKHATAI RECIPE!
This is a straightforward shortbread recipe that uses five basic ingredients that can be easily found in your pantry.
Additionally, it uses no baking soda and baking powder. Surprised and does this make you walk away from the recipe?
Please wait and learn the secret to this khasta Nankhatai recipe.
The secret is that no liquid/moisture is added to this Nankhati. No moisture means no water or milk.
The less the liquid in the cookies it easier for the liquid to evaporate during baking, hence producing crispier Nankhatai.
How to Make Nankhatai Recipe?
This is a super easy and fail proof Nankhatai Recipe that has been tested and tried many times in my kitchen. It requires no fancy ingredients or complicated steps.
It’s a one bowl recipe where we begin by creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the dry ingredients with sugar-butter mix and knead until forms a soft, pliable dough.
Shape the dough like logs. Wrap it well in a wax paper and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
WHY CHILL THE COOKIE DOUGH?
The answer is simple –
Chilling the dough solidifies the fat (butter) in the cookies. So when we bake these chilled cookies, the solidified fat/butter takes time to melt, and during baking whatever steam is released it puffs up the dough, and the cookie spreads out less and becomes flaky.
And if we start baking the dough without chilling, the fat (butter) will melt right away resulting into spread out flat and greasy cookies.
Butter has a low melting temperature which allows the unchilled cookie to spread much more during baking resulting in falt cookies.
BAKING TIME!
Bake these goodies for 12- 15 minutes. Depending on the oven, cooking time may vary.
Unlike other cookies, nankhatais will not brown up, and when taken out of the oven, they will still be soft and gooey.
No worries, allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes on the counter and they will become firm. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container and enjoy with your evening tea!!
Do give this Nankhatai Recipe a try and if you happen to make it then leave a comment below. Would love to hear from you. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Nan Khatai Recipe
INGREDIENTS
FOR NANKHATAI
- 1¼ cup All purpose flour
- ¼ cup Sooji (Semolina)
- ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- – – A pinch of salt
- ½ cup Semi-solid Ghee or you can use softened unsalted butter
GARNISHES
- 2 teaspoon Chopped pistachios to sprinkle on top
- A pinch of Cardamom Powder to sprinkle on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine flour, sooji, salt, powdered sugar, and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl.
- Add ghee and mix until well blended.
- Knead until it forms a soft pliable dough.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
- After the chill time, roll the dough into a big circle. Preheat oven at 350 degree F.
- One way is to use a cookie cutter and cut out the nan khatais.
- Nan khatais are ready.
- Other way and the original way to shape nan khatais is to take a small dough ball in your hand.
- Flatten and shape them.
- Place them on a baking tray.
- Using a knife, gently make a cross on all the nan khatais.
- A closer look.
- Sprinkle cardamom powder on all the khatais.
- Place them in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes. See how the crosses will open up .
- Remove from oven and place on the counter and allow them to cool.
- THEY WILL STILL BE SOFT when you remove the tray from oven.
- No worries.. when allowed to sit for 5-10 minutes they will become firm.
- This is how it will look from the back.
- Light and flaky nan khatais are ready.
- As per one’s taste sprinkle chopped nuts on top of nan khatais.
- When completely cooled, store it in an airtight container and enjoy!!
NOTES
- Please do not cut back on butter for this recipe. Fat is the backbone of this recipe.
- After the nankhatais are shaped, put a cross on them as shown above. Why make a cut on cookies? It helps the cookies to expand during baking.
Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided below is approximate. Variations may exist due to the ingredients/brands used. Please refer to a Registered Dietitian or Nutritionists if you have any health issues. NUTRITIONCalories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 18mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.5mg |
Saf says
Made these for Eid and they came out AMAZING! Perfect taste, texture everything. Only thing I did differently was add a tad more butter when kneading all the ingredients together as it was slightly too crumbly, after that it was perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Ruchi says
Awesome.
So glad you liked the recipe, Saf!
lamya says
I dont have all purpose flour.
can i used plain flour instead or self raising flour?
Ruchi says
I would not suggest using self-rising flour for this recipe, Lamya.
You see, self-rising flour contains baking powder and nankhatai recipe doesn’t require any leavening agents.
All the action comes from the ghee.
Ayesha Rathore says
Hi can i use maple syrup or honey as an alternative to sugar?
Ruchi says
Ayesha, I would not suggest that. This recipe doesn’t require any liquid ingredients.
Pratiksha says
Can we cook it in microwave? At what temperature?
Ruchi says
Pratiksha, if your microwave has a baking option, then you sure can bake in it. Bake at the same temperature, as mentioned in the recipe.
Sherry says
Mine spread out and were flat instead of staying the shape ?
Ruchi says
Sorry to hear Sherry that the recipe didn’t work out for you. Did you chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking? If you did, then I am not sure what went wrong. Because there is no leavening agent in this recipe that could have caused the nankhatai to spread and the amount of unsalted butter used in the recipe couldn’t possibly be the reason for the spread.
BABLEEN says
Hi, Can I use ghee instead of butter and WWF instead of APF?
Ruchi says
Bableen, you can use ghee. Make sure it’s in the semi-solid form and not melted.
Regarding wheat flour, I would suggest using half and half – 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup of wheat flour.
Let me know how it turns out for you.
Betty Samuel says
Hi I kept the dough in the fridge and wanted to bake them the next day… they have turned hard.. what do I do
Ruchi says
Betty, how long did you bake the nankhatais for? Baking them for longer time period will result in hard nankhatai.
Geraldine says
Can you please give me the above measurements in grams .
Thanks dear
Ruchi says
Hello Geraldine,
Please press ‘Metric’ at the end of the ingredient list, and you will find the measurements in grams. 😊
Thanks!
Yasha Srivastava says
Tried the recipe today! They turned out AMAZING! MELTED IN MOUTH.. THANKS FOR SHARING
Ruchi says
Glad to hear that!
Thank you so much for your kind words. 😊
Kehul Kansara says
Hi Ruchi,
I am going to try this recipe soon. I will let you know my experience.
I would like to know the shelf life of this Nankhatai. For how long will be stay at room temperature.
Also the country I stay has a temperature of 25-32 degree C. And there is aircon system here. No fans.
I hope you I get my query resolve soon.
Thanks in advance.
Regards
Kehul
Ruchi says
Kehul, the shelf life for Nankhatai is 10 days at room temperature.
Happy Baking!
Bhawna says
Can I use desi ghee instead butter???
Ruchi says
Sure you can.
Lata kale says
Hello can v bake it in pressure cooker and till how much time
Ruchi says
Sure you can.
To bake Nakhatai in a pressure cooker:
1. Layer the bottom of the pressure cooker with sand or salt.
2. Close the lid and heat the cooker for 7-8 minutes on a low flame.
3. Arrange a stand in the cooker and place nankhatai over it.
4. Bake/cook nankhatai for 5-6 minutes on a medium-low flame.
5. Allow the nankhatai to rest for 4-5 minutes and then gently remove from the pressure cooker.
6. Remember the nankhatis will be soft at this point. So remove carefully with a ladle.
Hope this helps!
Vinay says
Can I try the same recipe using cooker and for the same time?
Ruchi says
I haven’t tried it myself but I am sure you can.