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Golden nankhatai eggless Indian shortbread cookies with pistachios and chai

Nankhatai (Eggless Indian Shortbread Cookies)

Crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth eggless Indian shortbread cookies with cardamom and pistachios. One bowl, no frying, and ready in under an hour.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Chilling 15 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 0.5 cup ghee 115 g, soft but solid (not melted); or softened unsalted butter
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar 60 g
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 125 g
  • 2 tbsp besan (gram flour)
  • 2 tbsp fine semolina (sooji)
  • 0.25 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp pistachios finely chopped

Equipment

  • 1 Baking sheet
  • 1 Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Whisk or hand mixer

Method
 

  1. Whisk the ghee and powdered sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
  2. Add the flour, besan, semolina, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Mix gently with a spatula until it comes together into a soft dough. Do not overmix.
  3. Roll into 16 balls (about 1 tbsp each) and flatten slightly. Press a few chopped pistachios on top of each and place them on a lined baking sheet, 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Chill for 15 minutes while the oven heats.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops crack and the bottoms are light golden. The tops stay pale.
  5. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes (they are very soft when hot), then move to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage: keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Butter version: softened unsalted butter works instead of ghee; the cookies will be slightly less crumbly.
Gift idea: stack in clear bags tied with ribbon, or add to a Diwali box with kaju katli.
Outside India: ghee is sold in most large supermarkets (often near the oils or in the international aisle). Besan and fine semolina are in the baking or world food aisle.