Nankhatai is a special kind of cookie available in India. I guess it is a kind of fusion recipe which was developed by Persians migrating to India, for a population that did not eat eggs. Made with ghee, plenty of ghee, flavored with cardamom or rose, and dusted in nuts like pistachios, nankhatai cookies are great with a cup of tea, or for special occasions like Diwali. Here’s my simple and easy Nankhatai recipe.

The prep time for these cookies is short, but the baking time is high. The big difference here is that these cookies are baked at a very low temperature so that they remain snow white even after being baked. I am sure this also gives them their unique powdery texture which crumbles and melts in your mouth.

This Nankhatai recipe is the most basic one, with cardamom or elaichi and pistachios. The big advantage of making these cookies at home is that you can use your homemade ghee to make them. It is a big relief to know what kind of ‘fat’ has gone into the cookies. One or two can be enough at a time, even for a cookie monster. If I had to compare, I would say these are very similar to Sandies shortbread. But baking at low temperature really makes a difference.

I also made a variation of these – pumpkin cookies – for my pumpkin cookbook. Using pumpkin puree changed the taste and texture of those cookies but they were delicious!

Many bloggers have termed Nankhatai as a Diwali special sweet. Well, it is not a Diwali sweet per se in my family – we tend more toward Karanjis and Ladoos, but why not? They are decadent and rich, and super yummy. Plus they need a minimum of effort.

Nankhatai Recipewith Cardamom Recipe

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Why not give these Elaichi Nankhatai a try this Diwali?