Nankhatai are Indian style spiced shortbread flavoured with cardamom. Orange almond nankhatai take it one step further with nutty almond meal and generously thick strips of orange zest. It’s an incredible flavour combination you didn’t know you needed!
Around comes the festive season and I’m thinking up exciting new twists on Indian desserts . Whilst the original nankhatai has a place in my heart, I wanted to try out new flavours that add a little surprise – this chocolate nankhatai is one of them.
Orange is a particular favourite of mine and I love incorporating it into creamy desserts. Bhapa doi with a spiced orange syrup , white chocolate mousse and vegan burnt basque cheesecake are all perfect examples.
The Recipe Details
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Orange zest, and even orange oil, add a sunshine-esque brightness that when paired with cardamom becomes gloriously festive. It’s a bit of a mix of Diwali and Christmas rolled into one!
I’ve stuck to my tried and tested (way too many times to count) nankhatai recipe as the base. The only difference I make is swapping the semolina for almond meal. Ground almonds add a richness often found in European baking and also complement citrus.
The result is the lightest, most buttery, melt in the mouth cookies you’ll ever try. They aren’t overly sweet and I’ve adjusted the baking time so they are perfectly crisp but melt away once you take a bite.
I’ll be having a piece (or two) with a steaming cup of Indian ginger chai . You’ll love them for special occasions, Diwali or other festivities.
Storage suggestions
Store orange almond nankhatai in an airtight container for up to 5 days. After this time, they will loose their freshness and start going stale.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Orange Almond Nankhatai
Ingredients
- 250 gram plain flour
- 25 gram besan
- 35 gram ground almonds
- 175 gram ghee at room temperature
- 120 gram caster sugar
- orange zest from one orange
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4-5 or 180C or 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the ghee and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Tip in ground almonds. Sieve in the plain flour, besan and baking powder.
- Add the cardamom powder and add the zest of an orange.
- Mix together to make a dough. Portion the dough equally and shape to make round balls.
- Arrange in a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and allow the nankhatai to cool completely. They will be too crumbly and soft to pick up when hot.
- Optionally garnish with crushed pistachio and rose petals.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Orange Almond Nankhatai
Ingredients
- 250 gram plain flour
- 25 gram besan
- 35 gram ground almonds
- 175 gram ghee at room temperature
- 120 gram caster sugar
- orange zest from one orange
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4-5 or 180C or 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the ghee and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Tip in ground almonds. Sieve in the plain flour, besan and baking powder.
- Add the cardamom powder and add the zest of an orange.
- Mix together to make a dough. Portion the dough equally and shape to make round balls.
- Arrange in a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and allow the nankhatai to cool completely. They will be too crumbly and soft to pick up when hot.
- Optionally garnish with crushed pistachio and rose petals.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Kansar is a traditional Gujarati sweet made with coarse wheat flour, jaggery, sugar and aromatic spices. It’s deliciously comforting and oozes ghee. Heavenly!
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in November 2015. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
Kansar is often seen as an old fashioned and humble recipe and that’s probably because it has centuries old routes. It’s often prepared on auspicious occasions and in our house, my Mum makes it on the first day of Diwali.
We serve it as part of a Gujarati thali with poori , a potato shaak such as ringan bateta nu shaak , Gujarati dal and bhaat .
The first day of Diwali is Dhanteras and is associated with wealth. Kansar or lapsi is made in many Gujarati households as a way to bring good luck into the new year.
Lucky for me, it tastes so good I might just ignore the calendar and eat it all year round!
Gujaratis will also prepare fixed dishes on the other days of Diwali. It’s usually a variation of the following:
- Kali chaudas – bajri na vada or dal vada and rice kheer .
- A typical Gujarati thali on Diwali consists of dal, bhat, shaak, puri, farsan such as methi na gota and churma ladoo
- Bestu varas (Gujarati New Year) – sooji no siro or shrikhand and batata vada .
- Bhai beej – biranj or Kansar and sandwich dhokla .
At the risk of sounding like a teacher, there are a few bits to clear up. You may see that the name kansar and lapsi is used interchangeably for this recipe. Strictly speaking, they are two different desserts. Kansar is made with coarse whole wheat flour (aka jado lot) and both jaggery and sugar. Lapsi ( fada lapsi ) is made with cracked wheat and either jaggery or sugar but not both.
Ok, teacher talk over. On to the recipe ingredients …
A note on ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The base of the recipe starts with jado lot – coarse whole wheat flour . It’s often sold as bhakhri flour. It’s quite hard to get hold of, so the trick is to use equal parts chapati atta and semolina. This gives the same texture as coarse whole wheat flour. Whenever we’ve used wholemeal coarse flour, the kansar becomes darker in colour. This time, I’ve used chakki atta. I asked my Mum why we specifically need to use coarse whole wheat flour. She explained that normal whole wheat flour will make the kansar sticky.
Spices – the traditional recipe uses cardamom powder , nutmeg powder and crushed fennel seeds . My Mum also adds whole spices – cinnamon and clove which add even more depth. Poppy seeds are also added to give richness and coconut for flavour.
For sweetness, kansar is made with jaggery and sugar , specifically caster sugar known as booru khand. The jaggery is dissolved in water to make a light syrup and the caster sugar is sprinkled on top before serving.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Gujarati Kansar
Ingredients
- 210 grams coarse whole wheat flour
- 5 tablespoon oil
- 100 gram jaggery
- 200 millilitres water
- 5 tablespoon ghee
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon bark
- 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds khus khus
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2 tablespoon grated coconut
- 3-4 tablespoon nuts chopped almonds, pistachios and cashews
- 3 tablespoon caster sugar
- rose petals garnishing
Instructions
- Heat jaggery and water in a pan until the jaggery dissolves completely. Strain using a fine mesh sieve to remove any impurities and set aside.
- Meanwhile, place the flour in a non stick pan and start toasting on a very low heat. Keep stirring continuously until you can smell a roasting aroma and flour starts turning cream in colour.
- Switch of the heat.
- Transfer the toasted flour into bowl and add oil. Mix well and take a small amount of flour in your hand and mould together. If it doesn’t remain stuck together add a spoon of oil at a time until it does.
- In a pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and place on the heat. Add cloves, cinnamon and poppy seeds. Pour in the jaggery water and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to as low as possible and add the toasted flour into the pan. Ensure it is evenly distributed but do not mix.
- With tip of a rolling pin gently dig into the flour. Cover the pan with a lid and keep the heat low.
- After 10-12 minutes check if all the water has absorbed. If it has, the kansar is cooked. Switch off the heat.
- Add crushed fennel seeds, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, grated coconut and chopped nuts. Gently mix so the spices are well incorporated and the larger lumps are broken up.
- Serve warm in bowls. Drizzle over melted ghee, sprinkle the sugar and garnish with more nuts and rose petals.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
