Butter Cookies commonly known as Nankhatai is the traditional Indian shortbread cookies or biscuits made with flour, sugar and ghee or butter. It is a popular sweet cum snack recipe which is equally liked by kids as well as elders. Nankhatai is popular as a tea time snack and is easily available in most bakery and tea shops, with variations from place to place in preparation. In this recipe I used a standard recipe, which is mostly followed.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour ( maida) : 1 cup
- Butter / ghee : ½ cup
- Sugar (powdered) : ½ cup
- Baking soda : A pinch
- Cardamom (powdered) : 2 (Optional)
Method
- Mix the butter, sugar and cardamom to a creamy texture.
- In a bowl add the flour and cooking soda . Mix the flour for getting the baking soda evenly.
- Pour the butter mixture into the flour a little at a time.
- Mix the flour with your finger to looks like bread crumbs.
- Then make smooth dough with adding enough butter mixture.
- Keep it for an hour / more.
- Take a baking dish and put a greased parchment / wax paper.
- Divide the dough into 13 equal parts.
- Press the top of each ball and slightly flatten it (May make a decorative cross on top with a knife at this point)
- Place it in the cookie sheet; make sure to give some gap in between.
- Preheat the oven at 350F.
- Bake it for 18-20 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown.
- Cool it completely to serve.
Tips :-
- If you use normal sugar, powder the sugar along with cardamom ( I used off-the-shelf, powdered sugar).
- If you don’t like cardamom flavor you may avoid it.
- Don’t use water for kneading the dough.
- Quantity of sugar may be varied to individual taste.
- Don’t over-brown the cookies. Once it get lightly golden brown, insert a tooth pick , it comes out clean if cooked enough.
