Besan nankhatai / Gram flour Indian cookies

Nan khatai – 

I have been waiting to bake these cookies for very long time. I remember my mom baking different types of nankhati (Indian cookies), which will vanish off in no time. Nankhatai are traditional Indian eggless cookies that are made with plane flour and ghee. But these can also be made with chickpeas flour or wheat flour and they taste nutty and are healthy too.

Today I am sharing the recipe of nankhatai made with chickpea flour i.e. besan.  First batch I made for my little one’s snack and didn’t took pictures. They turned out yum and melt in mouth. They are delicious. Hope you give this a try and let me know how it turns out for you.

There are few suggestions which need to take care for this recipe:

Ingredients - This recipe can be made with half maida (refined flour) and half besan a well. I have made it both ways. The cookies made with mixture of both flours are crunchier.

Amount of Ghee- If there is excess ghee in the dough then nankhatai will not puff up and will remain flat like a biscuit. In this case add some more maida in the flour and mix nicely.

If the quantity of ghee is less in the dough, the nankhatai will break or get cracks while baking. In this case add some more ghee in the dough and mix well.

Baking- Don’t over bake the cookies, the cookies may look soft when you take them out from the oven and it will harden as they cools.

I baked these in an oven, if you don’t own a oven, you can make these in a pressure cooker. Fill 2 inches of the base with sand or salt and cover it with a foil and place these cookies over a plate and keep the plate on the foil. Remove the gasket and close the lid. Bake on low flame. Keep checking after 10 minutes. My mom use to make it in cake oven similar to a pressure cooker.

Shelf life- These cookies stay good for more than a week in an air tight container.

Step by step recipe of besan nankhatai:

Preheat the oven to 180 Degree C. line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Take 1 cup gram flour, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp cardamom powder in a bowl and mix well. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar and mix.

Add ½ cup melted/soft ghee to the flour mixture and mix well with the help of your fingers.

Knead to soft dough.

Take small portion of the dough and roll it giving a round shape. Now flatten the ball by pressing it gently with your palm.

Top it with chopped pista and arrange it in the prepared tray. Likewise prepare all nankhatai. Keep the nankhatai at some distance on the tray.

Now place the tray in a preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or till golden. Check after 15 mins.

Remove from oven and let it cool completely.

Store in air tight container and serve.

Below is the printable version of this recipe.

Besan nankhatai recipe below:

Besan nankhatai Prep time Cook time Total  5 min  20 min  25 min Indian eggless cookies made of chickpea flour AUTHOR: Monali RECIPE TYPE: dessert CUISINE: Indian SERVES: yield 15 to 20 INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup=237 ml) 1 cup or 125 gm Gram flour (Besan) ¾ cup or 125 gm Powdered sugar ¼ tsp Baking soda ½ tsp Baking powder 4-5 Green cardamom or ¼ tsp Cardamom powder (choti elaichi) ½ cup or 125 gm Clarified butter/Ghee 4-5 Pistachios (finely chopped)  DIRECTION Peel and grind or pound green cardamom seeds and thinly slice pistachios. Melt ghee. Preheat the oven to 180 Degree C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Otherwise grease plate or tray with some ghee. Take gram flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Take ghee, powdered sugar and cardamom powder in a bowl and use a whisk to mix well. Now add in the flour mix and knead to soft dough. Take small portion of the dough and roll it into a ball. Top it with chopped pistachios and arrange in tray. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till golden. Check after 15 mins. Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Store in air tight container and serve.  NOTES Ingredients - This recipe can be made with half maida (refined flour) and half besan a well. I have made it both ways. The cookies made with mixture of both flours are crunchier. Amount of Ghee- If there is excess ghee in the dough then nankhatai will not puff up and will remain flat like a biscuit. In this case add some more maida in the flour and mix nicely. If the quantity of ghee is less in the dough, the nankhatai will break or get cracks while baking. In this case add some more ghee in the dough and mix well. Baking- Don’t over bake the cookies, the cookies may look soft when you take them out from the oven and it will harden as they cools. I baked these in an oven, if you don’t own an oven, you can make these in a pressure cooker. Fill 2 inches of the base with sand or salt and cover it with a foil and place these cookies over a plate and keep the plate on the foil. Remove the gasket and close the lid. Bake on low flame. Keep checking after 10 minutes. My mom use to make it in cake oven similar to a pressure cooker.  Shelf life- These cookies stay good for more than a week in an air tight container.