Melt in the mouth Kaju Katli Nankhatai

If you love cashew and kaju katli, you are going to love these nankhatais. Loaded with cashews, these cookies are crispy, crumbly and melt in the mouth delicious! It will literally melt in mouth when you take a bite!

If you are wondering what is a Nankhatai, these are egg free Indian shortbread cookies made mainly with ghee/butter, sugar, flour, some besan and semolina, flavoured with spices like cardamom and often topped with chopped nuts. They are made thick and dome shaped, though some other shapes have also gained popularity.

These nankhatais are made with whole wheat flour, some semolina, lots of cashews, ghee and sweetened with raw sugar (desi khand). The flavour of cashews is so prominent and beautiful that they don’t need any spices to support the flavour. The texture is crispy, crumbly and it starts to melt in the mouth when you take a bite. It has all the decadence of a kaju katli.

These cookies are so flavourful and easy to make that they will make a great addition to any festivities, be it Deepavali, Dussehra, Holi or Rakshabandhan!

Here are all the ingredients you will need:

Whole wheat flour forms the base for this cookies though it is used in the same amount as cashews. It provides binding and it holds the cookie together. This is our regular Gehu ka aata, a fine milled whole wheat flour.

Cashews are a big part of these cookies, used in the same quantity as whole wheat flour. It provides an unmistakable cashew flavour and melt in the mouth texture. It also reduces the need of fat in the recipe as cashews have a lot of fat of their own.

Raw Sugar or Khand is the sweetener in this recipe. It is unrefined sugar made from sugar cane. It has more nutrients compared to refined sugar and has a beautiful caramel note to its flavour.

Ghee makes the cookies short and helps with the melt in the mouth texture. It also adds a buttery flavour to the cookies and adds to the decadence. This recipe uses lesser ghee than most nankhatai recipes, but still gives amazing results.

Semolina or Rawa or Sooji is used in this recipe in a small quantity. It make the texture of the cookies slightly crunchier. You can however skip it in this recipe if you want.

And that it!

Now that we have covered all the ingredients needed, here is the detailed written recipe:

Kaju Katli Nankhatai

Serves: 15-18 Prep Time: 20 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins 15 mins

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

1 cup (130 g) - Wholewheat flour

1 cup (120 g) - Cashews

1 tbsp (10 g) - Semolina/Rawa/Sooji

1/2 cup (80 g) - Ghee

2/3 cup (85 g) - Raw Sugar

1/8 tsp - Salt

1/2 tsp - Baking Powder

1/2 tsp - Baking Soda

1 tbsp - Chopped cashews

Instructions

1. Take the raw sugar in a blender jar and grind it into a fine powder.
2. Add the powdered raw sugar into a large bowl and add the ghee. It should be slightly firm. If your ghee is liquid, place it in the fridge for 15-30 mins.
3. Whip it thoroughly until the mixture turns pale and fluffy and the swirls hold their shape (stiff peaks).
4. Add in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whip it thoroughly once again to combine these evenly.
5. Take the wholewheat flour, cashews and semolina/rawa in a blender jar and grind it until cashews have turned into a fine powder.
6. Add it to the whipped ghee mixture and mix it gently until all the flour is evenly mixed it and you have a uniform dough type mixture.
7. At this stage if you bind the dough, it will hold it's shape and not crumble.
8. Scoop out 1.5 tbsp portions of the dough and form them into round balls. Rolling and pressing slightly with both your palms, flatten them slightly.
9. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave some gap around each one. Dab a little bit of water on top of each nankhatai and place some chopped cashews. Press them gently.
10. Bake the nankhatai in a preheated oven at 170 C for 10-15 minutes until you notice big cracks around the nankhatai and the top turning slightly golden.
11. Take them out and let them cool slightly before transferring them on a wire rack.
12. You can garnish them with some edible silver leaf too. (optional) 
13. Store any left over nankhatai in an air tight container for upto 2 weeks.

Notes

1. Use ghee that is firm. It is easier to whip and takes less time. If your ghee is liquid, place it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before starting the recipe.
2. Grind the cashews finely. Wholewheat flour will absorb the excess fat from cashews and will allow you to grind the cashews finer. This in turn creates a better texture without needing too much butter.
3. Bake the nankhatais until you can see cracks forming all around the edges. At this stage, it is safe to take the nankhatai out of the oven. But if you prefer a more toasted flavour, let it bake for for a few more minutes.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Have you made this recipe? Tag me on Instagram at @VanillaTrails and use the hashtag #MadeWithVanillaTrails.