These cookies are perfect accompaniments for any tea party, and can also be given as a personalized gift to your family and friends during Diwali as mithai box or Christmas holidays or any time of the year 🙂
After 9 days for Navratri, the next festival I am super excited about is Diwali 🙂 I love the last 3 months of the year as different festivals and occasions are celebrated everywhere, and the weather starts getting pleasant, and the Fall color mesmerizes me every single year. My parents and in-laws keep telling me how Diwali was super exciting for them when they were young. It was during Diwali that they got a chance to buy a new dress and eat lot of snacks and sweets at home, and participate in all festive celebrations.
It was so difficult during their times that they were allowed to buy a pair of dress only twice a year and eat special snacks and sweets only during festivals and occasions. Our generation on the other hand has been fortunate to have access to the best the world has to offer, and personally I have no one but my parents to thank for - it was because of their sacrifices I was able to have a comfortable and enriching childhood. Diwali for me means attending different poojas, burning crackers/fireworks (which I completely stopped when I was in 6th grade - since then, I have been making sure to the best of my ability not to pollute our environment), and eating lots of sweets and snacks.
It is quite customary to offer an assortment of sweets and snacks to all guests who visit home or business during this festival. While these days, many buy and stock store-bought snacks and sweets for Diwali for convenience, I am sure most of you will agree that they do not taste as good as their homemade counterparts. After trying out spicy butter biscuits, dry fruit cookies, and traditional nankhatai, many readers requested me to post a cookie recipe using wheat flour (atta). My family, especially my husband loves nankhatai, and this is also a popular sweet prepared during festivals. So I decided to make a new version of it using whole wheat flour so that you guys can also try a batch in advance and then again during the festival 🙂 The flavor of the cookies was really much better than traditional nankhatai. It was crumblier and healthy too. These Nankhatai cookies are super easy to make at home. It requires a few simple ingredients and takes very little time to prepare. The final outcome is so good that I bet you cannot stop after eating one. This is also called Narayan Katar in Konkani and is similar to pecan sandies available here in the United States.
Preparation time: 1 hour Serves: 15 Nankhatai Whole wheat flour / Atta – 1 ½ cup Vegetable shortening / Vanaspati dalda or Ghee - ⅔ cup Baking soda – ¾ tsp Sugar – ¾ cup Cardamom powder – ½ tsp Salt – a pinch (optional) Almonds - for topping (optional) Step I
In a bowl, combine flour, shortening, soda, sugar, cardamom powder, and salt to form a dough. Note that I have not added any water while forming the dough. Vegetable shortening binds everything together. Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes.
Step II
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F / 148 degrees C. Form golf size balls from the dough and press to flatten it slightly. Place an almond at the center of each nankhatai. Keep it in a baking tray lined with parchment paper or on a silicone mat. Bake these cookies for about 18 to 22 minutes or until the bottom turns golden brown in color. (Check the tip section) Allow it to cool down for about 10 – 15 minutes - cookies will crisp up upon cooling. Wheat Nankhatai is now ready. Serve with a cup of coffee/tea and enjoy.
In the USA, fine granulated sugar is readily available in the market. In India, the sugar which we use at home is coarse, so grind it in the mixer to get it to powdered form before adding it to form the nankhatai dough. This powdered sugar is different from confectioner’s sugar. Preheat the microwave oven to convection mode 180 degrees C. Then bake nankhatais for 15-20 mins or until it’s done. You can also check out my variations to nankhatai like traditional Nankhatai, Ragi Nankhatai. The baking time of the cookie may vary depending on the size of the cookie and the oven. You might feel the cookies are still soft. But remove it when you see golden brown color at the bottom. Do not remove the cookies from the baking pan till it cools down completely else these cookies are going to break apart. See that your dough is not too dry. Add a teaspoon of milk (or more) to increase the moisture. For those who want to use ghee, make sure you use them in semi-solid state or even use butter at room temperature (semi-solid state). The texture of cookies and the time for baking may vary accordingly. I have tried making it with ghee and dalda, and both taste great! To make these cookies vegan, use dalda or vegetable shortening and non-vegan use ghee or brown butter
I have shared all my tips and tricks, how to get the perfect nankhatai and other important tips in this traditional nankhatai post. So make sure to check it out!
Recipe card
If you like this Indian sweet or dessert recipe,
Don’t miss to check out some of my popular and delicious Indian desserts and sweets to try this festival and holiday season. For more recent updates, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter Click below to save it on Pinterest
