Gluten-free Nankhatai (Indian Shortbread Cookies) (Edit recipe)

Nankhatai is an Indian shortbread cookie that is very popular in the Indian subcontinent, especially during the festive season. Growing up, every bakery you went to had this inviting aroma of freshly baked Nankhatai. On Diwali mornings, we woke up to its divine smell (thanks to the Ghee and cardamom) and enjoyed them with a hot cup of chai. For me, Nankhatai will always be one of those classic, nostalgic, family-favorite cookies and I hope you make them too. All you need is 10 mins of hands on time, 12-15 mins of baking time and less than 10 ingredients.

10 minutes

15 minutes

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	306
Fat:	19 g
Carbohydrates:	31 g
Protein:	2 g
Cholesterol:	47 g
Sodium:	60 mg
Fiber:	1 g
Sugars:	10 g
Calculated for total recipe.

by Priyanka Nadkarni

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

0.75 cup Primal Palate Gluten-free All-Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Chickpea Flour
1 Tbsp Almond Flour, optional, skip if nut-free
0.333 cup Powdered Sugar
0.5 tsp Ground Cardamom
0.25 tsp Baking Powder
0.333 cup Ghee, melted
1 Tbsp raw Pistachios, or other nuts/ rose petals, chopped for garnish

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Process

Cook Mode

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add all dry ingredients (everything except Ghee and pistachios) to a bowl.
Add Ghee and combine together to form a dough. Do not knead, just bring together all the ingredients using your hands. The Ghee should help with binding.
Form into 12 small balls, then lightly flatten. Don't worry if the dough develops tiny cracks when flattening. Using a toothpick, make a cross or any design on the cookies, if you wish.
At this point, you can add nuts for garnish. Most people stick in an almond but I find it browns during baking, so I just garnish with nuts after baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 mins.
Transfer them to a cooling rack immediately and allow them to cool before enjoying (the hardest part!). Note that the cookies will be soft to touch when they are done baking but will harden as they cool down.
Enjoy the cookies on its own or serve with a hot cup of chai.

Notes

Traditionally Nankhatai is made with a mix of All purpose flour, Chickpea Flour (Besan) and Semolina (Sooji) but to make this recipe Gluten-free, I have used Primal Palate's Gluten-free All Purpose flour and Almond flour instead. You can skip the Almond flour and pistachios (in the garnish) for a nut-free version. While Ghee gives these cookies its distinct aroma and flavor, you could also use melted butter in this recipe if you don't prefer ghee.