Nankhatai/Butter biscuits/Cookies. Fresh baked, hand-made, individually decorated real American cookies. A party with a tray of cookies is always better Nankhatai is crispy shortbread biscuit which is prepared using desi ghee (Homemade ghee), all purpose flour (maida), chickpea flour (Besan), Sooji (Rawa) and sugar. Nankhatai is a popular and traditional Indian cookie which is equally liked by kids as well as elders.

The word "Nankhatai" is derived from Persian word "Naan" which means "Bread" and "Khatai" from an Dari Persian word meaning "Biscuit". Nankhatai is also referred as Indian shortbread cookies. It is a traditional Indian cookie recipe without eggs, baking powder or baking soda. You can have Nankhatai/Butter biscuits/Cookies using 9 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Nankhatai/Butter biscuits/Cookies

You need 1/4 cup of ghee.
Prepare 1/4 cup of butter (room temperature).
It's 1 cup of powdered sugar.
You need 1 cup of wheat flour or maida.
Prepare 1/4 of Besan flour.
It's 1 tbsp of Rava.
It's 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
You need 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder.
Prepare 3 tbsp of milk.

Place each ball in a cookie sheet. Leave some space in between as the cookies will expand when it bakes. If you want to make it more rich, press a pistachio or raisin or cashew or almond on top of the balls gently. Bake the cookies in batches if need be.

Nankhatai/Butter biscuits/Cookies step by step

Add butter,ghee on a large bowl and beat well using hand mixer or electric beater until it turns creamy texture. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar and beat well..
In a siever, add all dry ingredients and sieve well into the bowl..
Then add cardomom powder, milk(little by little) and make a thick dough as shown. Don't knead too much. Cover and Rest it for 20 mins in fridge..
Then, take small ball sized dough,flatten it slightly and make cookies as shown. Decorate it with almond or other nuts,chocolate chips..
Line a parchment paper on a baking tray and arrange the cookies on the tray..
Preheat the oven for 180 degree celsius and then bake the cookies for 12-15 mins or until it turns light brown at 180 degree Celsius..
For gas stove method, add 1 cup salt in a kadai/idly pan and press heat for 10 mins on high heat. Then grease butter on a plate and arrange the cookies by leaving some gap between each cookies. Place the plate on the pre heated pan. Close the lid and cook for 15 mins..
Tasty crunchy butter cookies/nankhatai is ready 😋😋 Store it in an airtight container and will be good for 10 days..

While one batch of cookies is baking, keep the prepared uncooked cookie dough balls in a cool place. These are buttery soft, sweet and perfectly crisp, and go so well with a steaming cup of milk, tea or coffee. These cookies are one of the simplest cookies I make, but also they're one of my favorites. Nankhatai are traditional Indian shortbread cookies made with all-purpose flour, semolina, sugar and ghee. There are so many variations of nankhatais and can be made with different combinations of flour.