WHOLE WHEAT NANKHATAI
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Easy recipe to make the popular Indian shortbread cookies or nankhatai with whole wheat flour.
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Indian, baking
Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (120 gms) whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup (60 gms) besan/gram flour
  • ¼ cup (30 gms) suji/semolina
  • ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 4 crushed cardamoms
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • Almonds and pista, to decorate
Instructions
  1. Sift the flour, besan/gram flour, suji/semolina flour, cardamom powder baking soda, and baking powder together.
  2. Cream the ghee and sugar till light and creamy.
  3. Mix in the dry ingredients to the creamed ghee-sugar. Combine to make a dough. Be careful not to overmix.
  4. Make small balls of 24gms each and pat to make it a little flat.
  5. Add chopped almonds and pista on top of each cookie. (You could also use cashew if you like)
  6. Chill the shaped cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven at 160 C/ 325 F.
  8. Bake in oven on a parchment paper lined baking tray for 15-20 minutes. The cookies will be soft to touch and look undone, but take them out once they turn golden brown.
  9. Keep aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve with hot tea and enjoy!
Notes
  • Chilling in the fridge after shaping the nankhatais helps in the nankhatais to retain shape while baking. If you skip chilling, you will get flatter cookies
  • Make sure the ghee is semi solid. It should not be too hard, nor should it be melted. Too hard and you will have trouble mixing, and too soft could give you issues in shaping the dough.
  • The original recipe posted called for 1¼ cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup semolina flour and no besan- in case you don't like the taste of besan or do not have it, you can just use the other two flours in the amounts mentioned and you would still get a lovely nankhatai.
  • While the recipe has been tested multiple times and I have never felt the need to add milk, if the dough isn't coming together, add warm milk, a tsp at a time, till it comes together. I would still recommend to try and combine the mixture with hands first before adding any milk and only use the milk addition as the last option.
Recipe by The Novice Housewife at https://novicehousewife.com/2011/03/03/nankhatai/