Nankhatai is a classic eggless Indian cookie recipe. These Indian buttery shortbread cookies are laced with cardamom and saffron. They have an irresistible rich, crumbly, melt in mouth texture.
If you love this nankhatai, you’ll love these Gulab Jamun Cookies and Barfi Biscuits !
About
Nankhatai is an eggless shortbread from the Indian subcontinent that has a melt in mouth texture. These cookies are hugely popular in India and Pakistan. The word Nankhatai breaks into two words here Nan Khatai, Nan translates to BREAD and Khatai is BISCUITS.
These rich buttery cookies are the perfect snack with a cuppa, lunch box, after-school snacks, coffee morning, afternoon tea, high tea or a lovely and thoughtful gift for your foodie friends or family.
Ingredients notes
Nankhatai can be made of a handful of ingredients and these should be easy to find.
Flours – Regular plain flour (aka all purpose flour or maida) chickpea flour (besan) and semolina (sooji or rawa). Do not use self-raising flour.
Sugar – Caster sugar or grind regular granulated sugar in a grinder at home.
Fat – Ghee is a must as Nankhatai is all about Indian flavours otherwise it will be a normal shortbread.
Spices – A good quality cardamom and saffron will make all the difference. Cardamom powder or lightly crushed, any will do.
Nuts – Pistachio and almonds slivers.
Variations
The original recipe tastes perfect as it is, but I love playing around with flavours!
Orange Almond Nankhatai – swapping semolina for almond flour and adding orange zest.
Chocolate Nankhatai – adding cocoa powder.
Air fryer Funfetti Nankhatai – add funfetti/sprinkles to the dough and bake in the air fryer.
For a change make Chai Spice Cookies (Nankhatai) by adding a pinch of Chai Masala Powder
Pro Tips
Use ghee and do not compromise on the quantity given in the recipe, after all, you want your nankhatai to be melting in your mouth. It should be buttery, rich and Indian flavoured. Prominent taste and flavours of ghee make nankhatai special.
Do not use butter, making ghee at home is so easy and quick and won’t require any skill what so ever. Butter won’t give those special flavours.
Always use semi-solid consistency ghee, which is slightly grainy. In warmer climates, the ghee stays melted in the container, to bring it to the semi-solid consistency leave the ghee in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so.
Allow the oven to heat up to the right temperature before baking. It takes at least 10-12 minutes to preheat the oven.
Do not overbake , after 12-15 minutes of baking keep a very close eye on it.
Don’t over knead the dough.
The perfect texture, shape and flavour
Perfect Nankhatai should be light but with rich flavours, slightly crispy inside but delicate enough that it just crumbles and melts in your mouth.
For the sign of a perfectly baked Nankhatai, find three to four cracks over the surface, the texture should give you the impression that any moment the Nankhatai will crumble. The shape of the Nankhatai should be round and chubby and not be flattened.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with an authentic Indian Masala Chai or filter coffee. It is also delicious with Badam Milk .
Use as the biscuit base for this Nankhatai Shrikhand Cheesecake .
How to make Nankhatai
The best thing about this recipe is that there is no waiting game here, just measure all the ingredients, mix it, shape it, bake it and eat it. The dough of Nankhatai does not need any resting or chilling as this recipe uses baking powder.
In a big mixing bowl, cream the ghee and caster sugar until creamy and fluffy.
Add sieved flours, cardamom powder and saffron threads. Combine everything, do not over mix.
Preheat the oven and line the baking tray.
Equally, divide the dough into small balls (roughly between 25 to 30 grams each) avoid using a fork or too much pressure as we want Nankhatai to be round and chubby.
Arrange them on the cold lined baking tray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, then sprinkle nuts slivers and again bake for maximum 8-10 minutes.
As soon as you see edges becoming darker, remove the tray and let it sit for a while.
Do not attempt to lift the cookies at this stage they will just crumble.
Once totally cool, lift gently and store in an airtight container.
Can I make vegan Nankhatai?
Yes, you can but the taste will differ. Swap ghee with vegetable ghee, coconut oil or any other vegan butter.
How do I make Gluten free Nankhatai?
Use gluten-free plain flour instead of regular plain flour and replace semolina with gluten-free oats powder or cornmeal.
How long can Nankhatai last?
You can store these Nankhati in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 weeks.
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
Nankhatai
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 oven
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 500 gram Plain flour All purpose flour/Maida
- 50 gram Chickpea flour Besan
- 70 gram Semolina Sooji
- 220 gram Sugar castor
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 350 gram Ghee room temperature
- 12-15 strands Saffron
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon Pistachio Slivers
- 1 tablespoon rose petals (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4-5 or 350-375F.
- In a big bowl beat the ghee and sugar until fluffy.
- Now add flours, semolina, baking powder and spices. (except Nuts).
- Bind into a dough and make small balls and flatten very slightly.
- Place on a greased lined baking tray.
- Leave enough space between them.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven about 7-8 minutes.
- Take the cookies out and place almonds and pistachio in the centre, return to the oven and bake further 7-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Air Fryer Nankhatai
- Preheat the air fryer at 180C for 4 minutes.
- Place nankhatai balls on a baking tray.
- Bake at 180C for 8 minutes.
- Remove the basket from the air fryer and allow the cookies to rest in the basket for 4-5 minutes before removing. Let it completely cool at room temperature.
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.
Nankhatai
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 oven
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 500 gram Plain flour All purpose flour/Maida
- 50 gram Chickpea flour Besan
- 70 gram Semolina Sooji
- 220 gram Sugar castor
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 350 gram Ghee room temperature
- 12-15 strands Saffron
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon Pistachio Slivers
- 1 tablespoon rose petals (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4-5 or 350-375F.
- In a big bowl beat the ghee and sugar until fluffy.
- Now add flours, semolina, baking powder and spices. (except Nuts).
- Bind into a dough and make small balls and flatten very slightly.
- Place on a greased lined baking tray.
- Leave enough space between them.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven about 7-8 minutes.
- Take the cookies out and place almonds and pistachio in the centre, return to the oven and bake further 7-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Air Fryer Nankhatai
- Preheat the air fryer at 180C for 4 minutes.
- Place nankhatai balls on a baking tray.
- Bake at 180C for 8 minutes.
- Remove the basket from the air fryer and allow the cookies to rest in the basket for 4-5 minutes before removing. Let it completely cool at room temperature.
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.
Make buttery Gulab Jamun Cookies using store-bought gulab jamun mix and a rose water glaze. This 5 ingredient eggless recipe is easy to make yet makes an impressive sweet treat for special occasions.
If you love fusion biscuits recipes, you’ll love these Barfi Biscuits , Orange Almond Nankhatai and Saffron Pistachio Shortbread !
Gulab Jamun is an iconic Indian dessert with the flavours of rose. These cookies replicate similar flavours because the glaze is made with rose water and icing sugar. I’ve also used a store-bought gulab jamun mix which contains milk powder.
I’ve finished the eggless cookies with rose petals and edible gold leaf, which gives the cookies a festive feel.
Gulab jamun cookies have a soft texture and are buttery and rich. They remain soft due to the raising agents that are added to pre-made gulab jamun mix.
Make them as part of your Diwali sweets mithai box or for gifting! They’re the perfect Indian fusion dessert .
I love trying out fusion treats with gulab jamun like Gulab Jamun Cheesecake , Gulab Jamun Truffles and Gulab Jamun Mix Cake .
Ingredients notes
Gulab jamun mix – you can use any brand of gulab jamun mix for this recipe
All purpose flour – the amount of milk powder in gulab jamun mix means that you need to add some plain flour. I’ve tried this recipe purely with a mix but the cookies didn’t hold their shape.
Butter – I’ve gone for unsalted butter.
Caster sugar – aka powdered sugar. It is easy to buy from the shop or make your own at home by grinding down granulated sugar.
Milk – you will need whole milk to bind the dough.
For the glaze:
Icing sugar – aka confectioners sugar
Rose water – if you do not have rose water, use normal water with a few drops of rose essence.
Storage
Store cookies, once cooled, to room temperature in an air-tight container. They will keep well for 1 week after which they may become stale.
Other eggless cookie recipes
Nan Khatai
Cashew Amaranth Cookies
Air Fryer Funfetti Nankhatai
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
Gulab Jamun Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 oven
Ingredients
- 300 gram gulab jamun mix
- 200 gram plain flour
- 125 gram butter unsalted
- 200 gram sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon milk or extra as needed
Rose glaze (optional)
- 50 gram icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180 C or 360 F and prepare a baking tray.
- In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
- Add in the gulab jamun mix and all purpose flour.
- Mix until you get a crumbly dough.
- Add a tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough binds.
- Roll the dough into equal sized balls and place on the baking tray.
- Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown all over.
- Allow to cool before glazing.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together icing sugar and rose water until smooth.
- Decorate the cookies and finish with crushed rose petals and edible gold leaf.
Video
Notes
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.
