Nankhatai

Ingredients :

• 400 gm. sugar
• 350 gm. vegetable ghee
• 435 gm. all-purpose flour (sieved)
• 200 gm. semolina
• ½ tsp. cardamom powder
• 1 cup mixed glazed fruits cut into tiny pieces **

Direction for preparing Nankhatai

1. Powder the sugar and semolina in a coffee grinder.
2. Sieve flour, sugar and semolina into a mixing bowl.
3. Add cardamom powder and mix all ingredients in the bowl.
4. Melt ghee completely in the microwave. When the liquid is warm to the touch, add it to the above bowl.
5. Mix all the ingredients and form small balls. If the mixture is very sticky, you can add a little semolina but not too much.
6. The consistency of the dough should be of the cookie dough type.
7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Make small balls and after flattening them on the top lay in straight lines on the tray.
8. After the tray is full, make a cross on the cookie and add pieces of mixed glazed fruits in the middle of each cross and press it inside a little.
9. Pre-heat oven at 315 degrees Fahrenheit and once heated, bake the Nankhatai for approximately 22 minutes.
10. You will find the bottom turning slightly brown. Remove from fire and let it cool. The cookie will look white and if you touch when warm, the dough may stick to your finger. Don’t worry as once it is completely cool, the cookie will be perfect.

** Tips

• The taste and texture will be different if you use pure ghee. If you use pure ghee, then add the mixed glazed fruits on the top as soon as you finish laying one row on the baking tray. If you wait till the end, the earlier ones will dry out quickly and will break when you try to insert the cut pieces of mixed glazed fruits on top.
• If you want half the quantity, then make all the quantity half in the ingredients list above.
• Instead of a cross, you can make any simple pattern. This is done, so that the cookie does not crack. At times inspite of this pattern, the cookie may crack a little and this is normal. Don’t worry.
• Instead of mixed glazed fruits, you can add half a cashew on top. When I tried this, the cashew got slightly burnt. Some add cashew when the cookie is half-baked, but I don’t like to take this chance as the cookie will crack open and nothing can be done then.
• If living outside India, you will find mixed glazed fruits in bulk barn shops or in the grocery aisle under baking items.
• Instead of all-purpose flour you can use Maida if available
• If you want lesser quantity, cut the above quantities into half portion. Also the number of nankhatai depends on the size of the cookie size.