The House of Spices

What are Nankhatais?

Nankhatais are a fabled, bakery-style, Indian shortbread cookie that's widely consumed in North India and Pakistan. The word nankhatai is derived from the Persian word “naan” which means bread and “khatai” which means biscuit. They’re soft, buttery, tender, light, nutty, sweet, slightly crumbly, crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth from the inside. They’re usually made with ghee (clarified butter), flavoured with cardamom, and topped with nuts. 

 

With it’s unique delicate crumbly texture and charming melt in your mouth nutty flavour, nankhatais are one of those biscuits that are nostalgic and heavenly. They make for the perfect tea time snack or even a sweet treat, especially during the festive season. They’re not overly sweet and have an earthy and nutty flavour to it. The best part is that they’re simple to make, and require only pantry staples which every Indian household would already have.

 

Can I use all purpose flour instead of wheat flour?

Nankhatai has many variations. Some people make it with all purpose flour, whereas some people make it with whole wheat flour. While you can make this with all purpose flour, you will also need to add besan (gram flour) and make other slight variations to the recipe. Since everyone is more health conscious these days, I have decided to share this recipe using wheat flour instead. Additionally, the wheat flour gives the nankhatais a nice texture, as well as a rich light brown colour after baking. 

 

Can I use butter or oil instead of ghee?

Traditional nankhatai recipes are usually made with ghee (clarified butter) rather than oil and butter, which is why I’ve decided to stick with it. The ghee brings out a rich flavour and aroma which oil and butter cannot bring. Furthermore, ghee has plenty of nutritional benefits and is loaded with vitamins. Having said that, you can still choose to use butter or oil if you would like to and it will still taste great. Another point to note is that if you’re vegan, you can substitute the ghee with vegan butter or oil instead (although ghee is lactose free, it’s not usually vegan). 

 

Why do we need baking soda to make Nankhatais?

Baking soda is certainly not a common ingredient added to nankhatais. However, in this recipe, baking soda acts as a leavener. The soda helps to create soft nankhatais with crisp exteriors and also ensures that they rise when they are baked in the oven.

 

What is the purpose of adding nutmeg to this recipe?

Traditionally, people use besan (gram flour) to give their nankhatais that nutty flavour. However since this recipe uses wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, there isn’t a need to add besan (gram flour). To compensate for the nuttiness that the besan (gram flour) provides, nutmeg has been used instead. Furthermore, nutmeg has a warm and aromatic flavor which makes the nankhatais more flavourful.

 

Can we use granulated or caster sugar instead of powdered sugar?

My nankhatai recipe involves whisking sugar into the ghee until it dissolves and fluffs up. Granulated and castor sugar have large particles that take a while to dissolve. This is why I recommend using powdered sugar. If you only have granulated sugar in hand, I would recommend you grind it until it forms a smooth powder. You may try out this recipe with castor sugar as it has smaller particles than granulated sugar, but it will be more time consuming and as a result, your ghee might melt in the process resulting in flat cookie-like nankhatais. Having said that, I don’t recommend you to try out this recipe with granulated sugar as it would take forever, as well as leave grainy sugar bits in your nankhatais. 

 

Can we make them sugar free?

Nankhatais require some sort of sweetener, otherwise they would practically taste bland. I would not recommend skipping the sugar, however, if you want to make them sugar-free, you could use natural sweeteners such as stevia or sucralose (splenda). These low-calorie sugar substitutes are sweeter than table sugar, hence must be added in reduced quantities. You may also use other natural sugars like coconut sugar, but that only makes them refined sugar free (not completely sugar-free). Also, keep in mind that the colour of sugar/sweetener you use will affect the final colour of your nankhatais. 

 

Can I use rose water or extract instead of vanilla extract?

You can use rose water or extract instead of vanilla extract if you want! However, since rose has a stronger fragrance, it might overpower the nankhatai which might hide the fragrant aroma of cardamom. Hence, I would recommend using vanilla instead. However, if you’ve ran out of vanilla extract, you can substitute it with a few drops of rose extract.

 

What size should I make my Nankhatai?

You want each nankhatai to be roughly 20 grams. My recipe makes a total of 20 nankhatais,  with each roughly weighing 20 grams. You can either use a weighing scale to weigh each of them or roughly eye-ball them. However, ensure not to over press/flatten them as they might over-spread and become a flat cookie instead.

 

What is the secret behind the perfect Nankathai?

Apart from using the correct and high quality ingredients, it’s very important that you ensure that your dough isn’t soft and oily. If you are living in a hot country, you will need to make sure to keep the dough in the fridge after every step so the ghee does not melt. It is important that your dough is not soft and the ghee does not melt, so that your nankhatais hold their shape in the oven. If your ghee has completely melted before your nankhatais go into the oven (you will realise this because your nankhatais will turn wet and sticky), you will end up with extremely flat cookies. 

 

Why did my Nankhatais turn into flat cookies while baking?

When you make cookies, you generally want the dough to be cold and the butter to be solid  so they don’t spread as much while you bake them in the oven. It’s literally the same concept with nankhatais. You want your dough to be cold and you don’t want your ghee to melt before you bake them, otherwise your nankhatais will turn into overly expanded, flat cardamom cookies without you realising. 

 

What should I top the Nankhatais with?

Nankathais have a classic cross mark over the top of it to differentiate them from other cookies or biscuits. They are usually topped with whole or sliced almonds or pistachios. I love topping mine with either sliced almonds and pistachios. However, you can also skip on the toppings if you want to keep them simple!

 

Can I make the Nankhatais in advance and store it?

Yes, you can! Just like any other biscuit/cookie, nankhatais can be made beforehand and stored in an airtight container for a few weeks. Having said that, they’re best consumed in the first few days after baking as they tend to lose their crispness and buttery, melt in your mouth feel. They can easily become dry and chewy, so make sure you store them correctly. 

 

Any substitute for the ingredients mentioned?

Most of the ingredients used in this recipe are basic ingredients that you should find in your nearest Indian grocery store. None of the ingredients can be substituted as they are essential in providing the nankhatais an amazing flavour, texture and fragrance. Having said that, for this recipe, you can use any milk of your choice.

 

Any cooking tips for this recipe?

1. Ensure you do not over mix your ghee and sugar. You don’t want your ghee to melt due to over mixing.

2. If you feel your dough is too soft and oily, transfer it to the fridge for 5 minutes before moving onto every step. This is especially important if you live in a hot country, so that the ghee does not melt. 

3. Ensure you leave a lot of space between each nankhatai when you are baking them. They tend to become larger in size and slightly flatten out, so if you don’t give them room to expand, they are most likely going to be stuck to each other. 

4. Add milk to the dough only when it’s crumbly and not binding together.