This Indian Nan Khatai Recipe is a traditional Indian sweet treat. They are eggless shortbread cookies made with ghee (clarified butter), flour, sugar, and aromatic spices such as cardamom. These cookies are known for their delicate texture, buttery flavor, and crumbly consistency. Nan Khatai cookies are often enjoyed during festive occasions like Diwali or as an everyday indulgence with a cup of tea or coffee.
A Tale of a Granny, Her Granddaughter, and Their Fragrant Flower Garden
If you’ve ever been to India, you will know what I am talking about when I say that the country engages all of your senses. Landing in Kerela one Christmas, I would’ve known I had arrived without opening my eyes.
So much of India’s charm can be found in this magical country’s smells, colors, and sounds. Its true beauty, however, lies much deeper. It is found within the Indian people.
As I walked the streets of Kerela, I stumbled upon the scene of a grandmother and granddaughter working together in their garden. It was already dark outside, but even in December, it is far cooler and more pleasant to do any work once the sun goes down. In their garden, I could see and smell a hundred different scents from jasmine to frangipane. Layered in with the flowers was the smell of cardamon and coriander.
The girl and her grandmother were picking flowers for their Christmas table. I stopped and listened to them singing and telling each other gentle stories. They had hung lights and decorations all around their house, clearly in anticipation of Christmas.
Later that night, I visited that very same house after the little one went to bed. I saw they had laid a little plate and glass out for me. Upon the plate sat two Indian shortbread cookies adorned with a pistachio nut. They were melt-in-your-mouth kind of cookies. I was touched by the little rose petals and flowers laid out with the cookies and glass of milk.
Ingredients for Indian Nan Khatai
It makes about 36 cookies
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300g/2.5 cups flour
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150g 1 ¼ cup chickpea flour
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75g fine semolina
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1/4 tsp salt
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200g/1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
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287g/1 ¼ cup room temperature ghee/butter
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¼ tsp ground cardamom powder
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36 almonds
Recipe for Nan Khatai
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Preheat the oven to a baking temperature 374°F/190°C.
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Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, chickpea flour, cardamon, semolina, salt, and powdered sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
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Add in the butter or ghee and combine until you’ve created a soft dough. Even though the dough will seem dry at first, don’t add in any water; it will all come together at a later stage. Nan khatai cookie doughs are often a little dry, but in reality, they are very rich cookies.
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Roll the cookie dough into 28g balls. Roll them into smooth balls that are crack-free.
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Place the balls into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and press them down in their center, using your thumb. Pop an almond onto the cookie dough.
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Chill the cookies for 20 minutes before baking them in your preheated oven.
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Bake cookies for 11 -14 minutes cooking time, depending on your oven. Once they have baked perfectly and are light golden brown, they are ready!
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The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven. Let them cool on their baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to cool on a drying rack.
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Garnish the cookies with gold leaf or any edible jewels of your choice. You can choose to sprinkle a little powdered sugar onto the cookies although this isn’t traditional.
Storage and Shelf-life
Nan Khatai last up to 3 weeks when stored in an airtight container. You can store them in your refrigerator to keep them for longer. These cookies can be frozen for two months or so.
Go ahead and make a batch and freeze them, ready and waiting for the festive season.
You can choose to freeze the cookies after baking them or as raw dough balls. Either way, it’s a good idea to first freeze them on a tray (both the balls and the baked cookies). Once they have frozen solid, you can transfer them into bags or freezer-safe containers.
What are Nan Khatai?
Nan khatai sometimes called nankhatai biscuits are traditional Indian shortbread cookies that are super popular amongst all generations of Indians. This delectable treat is a simple recipe and an excellent option if you’re looking for an egg-free Christmas cookie recipe.
Khatai means “biscuit,” and the buttery makeup of the cookie is similar to a shortbread. This biscuit is sometimes referred to as Indian shortbread.
Nan Khatai is a classic pairing with a cup of chai tea and is made and sold in bakeries all over India.
This biscuit recipe is free from baking powder and baking soda and are the most delicious recipe.
Variations and Substitutions
There are so many variations to this easy recipe that you can make:
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Chocolate: add a little cocoa powder to the recipe for a chocolate nankhatai. Remove a little of the flour to make room in the recipe for the cocoa powder.
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Pistachio: add some pistachio extract to give your cookies a pop of pistachio. You can omit the cardamon in this case.
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Saffron: replace the cardamon with a few strands of saffron or a little saffron essence.
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Chai: create a chai version by adding in a blend of cinnamon, cardamom powder, allspice, cloves, and ginger. You only need about ¼ of a teaspoon or a little more to create the flavor.
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Citrus: add a teaspoon of zested orange or lemon peel to the butter.
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Omit the cardamom powder and replace it with vanilla or almond extract for a lovely, warming flavor. Cinnamon powder is lovely paired with vanilla extract.
As far as substitutions in the recipe go:
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If you want to make a dairy-free Christmas cookie, you can swap out the ghee for vegan butter, vegetable shortening or good-quality margarine in this wonderful recipe.
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For a gluten-free Christmas cookie, replace the semolina and the all-purpose flour with your favorite brand of gluten-free flour. You can replace this at a 1:1 ratio. You can try using some whole wheat flour but you may need to adjust the moisture content. The nankhatai dough mixture is likely to be a little drier with whole wheat flour.
How To Serve and Eat Nan Khatai
Serve this nan khatai recipe with tea in the afternoon. You can also pair your Indian butter cookies with a savory snack which is a classic way to serve treats.
If you’re going to make this as a Christmas cookie, then you could serve it with a cardamon-infused hot cup of cocoa.
Nan Khatai are lovely as a packaged Christmas gift.
Wrapping It Up
Whether you like dunking cookies in milk or nibbling them with a cup of tea, this Indian Nan Khatai recipe is a fantastic cookie to try out.
Kids and adults will love these pretty cookies and be enchanted by their flavor. As these cookies last for quite a while, they are perfect for packing up in a tin or box for friends and family.
While you’re enjoying your homemade Nan Khatai cookies, why not explore our article about Christmas Traditions in India and learn more about the beautiful traditions in India?
Baking Christmas cookies this year? Santa would love to join your family — virtually — for the holidays.
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