Soft, buttery, crumbly Pakistani/Indian cookies — just like the ones in your picture
The cookies in your image look very similar to Nankhatai, a traditional eggless, shortbread-style biscuit. They have a pale golden color, a rich buttery/ghee flavor, and a slightly crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Important: The photograph alone can’t establish the exact original formula, so this is a carefully balanced recipe designed to produce the same general appearance and texture.
Ingredients
For about 25–30 medium cookies
Ingredient Amount
All-purpose flour / Maida 1 cup (125 g)
Besan / gram flour ½ cup (60 g)
Fine semolina / sooji 2 tbsp (25 g)
Powdered sugar ¾ cup (90–100 g)
Ghee, softened ½ cup (110–115 g)
Cardamom powder ½ tsp
Baking powder ½ tsp
Baking soda â…› tsp
Salt 1 small pinch
Milk 1–2 tbsp, only if required
Optional nuts
For a nutty version, use 2–4 tbsp total:
Pistachios, finely chopped — 1 tbsp
Almonds, finely chopped — 1 tbsp
Cashews, finely chopped — 1 tbsp
Walnuts, finely chopped — 1 tbsp
You can also place one small pistachio or almond piece on top of each cookie.
Nuts are completely optional. The cookies in the photograph appear largely plain, so omit them if you want that appearance.
Step-by-Step Method
1. Prepare the oven
Preheat your oven to:
170°C / 340°F
For a fan/convection oven, use approximately 160°C / 320°F.
Line a baking tray with parchment/baking paper.
2. Sift the dry ingredients
Into a bowl, sift:
125 g maida
60 g besan
25 g sooji
½ tsp baking powder
â…› tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ tsp cardamom powder
Mix well.
Why sift?
It distributes the raising agents evenly and prevents lumps, giving the nankhatai a more delicate texture.
3. Cream the ghee and sugar
Put:
110–115 g softened ghee
into a separate bowl.
Add:
90–100 g powdered sugar
Beat/whisk for approximately 3–5 minutes.
You want the mixture to become:
creamy
pale
smooth
slightly fluffy
Don’t melt the ghee
The ghee should be soft/room temperature, not liquid.
If the ghee is completely melted, the cookies can spread excessively during baking.
4. Add the dry ingredients
Gradually add the sifted flour mixture to the ghee mixture.
Use a spatula or your hands to bring everything together.
Do not knead like bread dough.
Mix only until the ingredients come together into a soft, slightly crumbly dough.
5. Check the dough
Take a small amount and press it between your fingers.
It should:
hold together
be soft
feel slightly crumbly
not be sticky
be easy to roll into a ball
If the mixture is too dry, add milk:
1 teaspoon at a time.
Usually 1–2 tablespoons maximum is enough.
Don’t add lots of milk.
Too much liquid can make the cookies hard and change the classic nankhatai texture.
6. Add nuts
If using nuts, gently fold them in now.
For approximately 25 cookies, I recommend:
2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios + 1 tbsp finely chopped almonds.
Don’t use large pieces because they can make the cookies crack or break.
7. Rest the dough
Cover the dough and let it rest for approximately:
15–20 minutes
If your kitchen is particularly warm, refrigerate it for 15–20 minutes.
8. Shape the cookies
Divide the dough into approximately 25–30 portions.
Roll each portion into a smooth ball.
Place them on the baking tray.
Flatten each ball gently with your fingers.
The cookies should be approximately:
1.5–2 cm thick
Traditional decoration
Make a small indentation in the center.
Place:
chopped pistachio
almond sliver
cashew piece
on top.
Or use a fork to make a simple pattern.
9. Bake
Place the tray in the preheated oven.
Bake for approximately:
12–16 minutes
The cookies should remain light cream/pale golden.
The bottom should become lightly golden, but the tops should not become dark brown.
10. Cool completely
This is very important.
When they come out of the oven, the cookies will be soft.
Don’t immediately move them around.
Leave them on the tray for:
8–10 minutes
Then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Once completely cool, they’ll become:
crisp/crumbly outside
tender inside
buttery
melt-in-the-mouth
NUT OPTIONS
You can customize the recipe.
Pistachio Nankhatai
Add 2–3 tbsp finely chopped pistachios.
Almond Nankhatai
Add 2–3 tbsp finely chopped almonds.
Cashew Nankhatai
Add 2–3 tbsp finely chopped cashews.
Mixed Nut
Use:
1 tbsp pistachio
1 tbsp almond
1 tbsp cashew
Nut-free
Simply leave them out. The basic recipe is excellent without nuts.
Ghee vs Butter
For traditional nankhatai:
Ghee is best.
It gives the characteristic:
rich aroma
short/crumbly texture
delicate mouthfeel
Can you use butter?
Yes.
Replace approximately:
115 g ghee → 125 g unsalted butter
Because butter contains water whereas ghee is almost entirely fat, the texture will be slightly different.
Can you use half butter + half ghee?
Absolutely.
Try:
60 g ghee + 65 g unsalted butter.
This gives a very nice buttery flavor while retaining the traditional texture.
Oven Temperature Guide
Oen Temperature Approx. time
Conventional 170°C / 340°F 12–16 min
Fan/convection 160°C / 320°F 12–15 min
Gas oven Medium-low Check around 12 min
Every oven behaves differently, so color is more important than the exact time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why did my nankhatai spread?
Usually one of these:
ghee was too warm
too much ghee
dough was too soft
tray was warm
oven wasn’t fully preheated
Fix: Chill the shaped cookies for 10–15 minutes before baking.
Q2. Why did they become hard?
Common causes:
too much flour
too much baking
overmixing
too much milk
insufficient fat
Nankhatai should be handled gently.
Don’t knead the dough extensively.
Q3. Why are my cookies cracking?
A little cracking is actually normal and desirable for nankhatai.
If they’re cracking excessively and falling apart, the dough is probably too dry.
Add 1 tsp milk or a tiny amount of ghee, mix gently and test again.
Q4. Why are they not crumbly?
Possible reasons:
insufficient ghee
too much liquid
overmixing
excessive flour
overbaking
For a melt-in-the-mouth texture, don’t overwork the dough.
Q5. Can I make them without besan?
Yes.
You can replace the besan with additional maida, but the flavor will be different.
Besan contributes the distinctive nutty, traditional nankhatai flavor.
Q6. Can I omit sooji?
Yes.
Sooji provides a very subtle texture/crunch.
For a softer, more delicate cookie, you can omit it and use an equivalent amount of maida.
Q7. Can I use coarse sugar?
It’s better to use powdered/icing sugar.
Coarse granulated sugar can leave a grainy texture and doesn’t incorporate as easily.
Q8. Do I need eggs?
No.
Traditional nankhatai is generally an eggless cookie.
Q9. Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes.
Wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to approximately 24–48 hours.
Let it soften slightly before shaping.
Q10. Can I freeze the dough?
Yes.
Wrap it airtight and freeze for approximately 1–2 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator before shaping.
Q11. Can I freeze baked nankhatai?
Yes. Allow them to cool completely first and store airtight.
For best texture, however, freshly baked cookies are preferable.
Q12. Why did the cookies become brown?
Your oven is probably too hot or they’re baking too long.
Nankhatai should generally remain cream to light golden, like those shown in your picture.
Q13. Can I make them without baking soda?
Yes.
You can omit the baking soda. The cookies will be slightly different in texture but will still work.
Q14. Can I use cardamom seeds instead of powder?
Yes. Grind the seeds finely.
Freshly ground cardamom gives a particularly good aroma.
Q15. How do I get the exact smooth bakery look?
For smoother cookies:
Use finely powdered sugar.
Cream the ghee and sugar properly.
Don’t add excess liquid.
Roll the portions smoothly.
Flatten gently.
Bake at moderate temperature.
For the slightly cracked, rustic look in your photograph, don’t over-smooth the tops.
Approximate Nutrition
Nutrition varies according to the exact ingredients and cookie size. If this recipe makes 30 cookies, one plain cookie is approximately:
Calories: 105–120 kcal
Carbohydrates: 13–15 g
Fat: 5–6 g
Protein: 1–2 g
Sugar: 4–5 g
Adding nuts will increase calories, fat, protein and fiber slightly.
These are approximate values, not laboratory-tested nutrition information.
🫙 Storage
Once completely cool, put the cookies in an airtight container.
Room temperature
Approximately 1–2 weeks for best quality.
Keep away from:
humidity
direct sunlight
heat
If your environment is humid, an airtight container is particularly important because nankhatai can lose its crisp/crumbly texture.
My Recommended Formula for the Photo
If your goal is specifically to recreate the pale, thick, crumbly cookies shown in your image, I’d use:
125 g maida
60 g besan
25 g sooji
95 g powdered sugar
115 g ghee
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp baking powder
â…› tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1–2 tbsp milk only if necessary
2 tbsp pistachios/almonds, optional
Bake at 170°C for roughly 13–15 minutes, watching carefully so the tops stay pale.
The most important three rules:
1. Don’t make the dough wet.
2. Don’t overmix/knead.
3. Don’t overbake.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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