Winters and nankhatais are synonymous with each other; at least for me, they are. Ever since my childhood till now, I remember the nankhatai walas who use to sell warm, freshly baked nankhatais on the roadside. Even though these were sold on a small cart, the taste and texture of these Indian cookies were at par with those prepared by great pastry chefs. But unlike then the number of these nankhatai carts has reduced considerably and it is now a rare sight.
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Since I could rarely get my hands on these delectable cookies I have come up with my own recipe for the same. And not to brag but the taste and texture are quite similar to the ones you get in the market. so here is a step by step recipe of the same.
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour/maida- 1 cup
Gram flour/besan- ¼ cup
Baking soda- ½ tsp.
Baking powder- 1 tsp.
Semolina/sooji- 2 tbsp.
Nutmeg powder- 2-3 pinches
Cardamom powder- ½ tsp.
Ghee- ½ cup
Sugar- 100 grams
Yogurt/dahi- ½ tbsp.
Milk- 1 to 2 tbsp.
Almonds- for topping
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Grind the sugar finely in a grinder.
3. Add the ghee and the ground sugar in a bowl. Mix the two first with a spatula. when the sugar is combined with the ghee, use an electric blender to cream the two ingredients.
4. When the mixture is light, creamy and smooth, it is ready.
5. Now take all the dry ingredients and sift them.
6. Add the yogurt to the ghee and sugar mixture and blend it well.
7. Now add ½ of the dry sifted ingredients to the liquid ingredients and gently mix it with a spatula.
8. When the dry ingredients are combined well, add the rest of the dry ingredients. This time use your hands to bring the mixture together. If the mixture is too dry, add a few tbsp. of milk in it. do not knead the dough.
9. Divide the dough into medium sized portions and roll it between your palms. Flatten it slightly and put an almond in the centre.
10. Prepare all the nankhatais in a similar fashion and place them on a greased baking tray. Leave some space in between the cookies as they expand while baking.
11. Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes at 180 degree Celsius or until lightly golden.
12. When the cookies are done, remove them from the baking tray and place them on the cooling rack.
13. Serve the nankhatais warm or store them in an airtight container.
Image Source: blogspot
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