So far through the pregnancy, I have craved the foods that we made and used to get in India. All the tempting chaats, mouthwatering spicy- tangy dishes and some(few) Indian sweets and desserts. Nankatai was one of my favorite cookies as a child. And it happens to be 'M''s too ( as a kid , he called those 'Nankati- taai' cookies...LOL!!) So few years ago, when M's parents visited us here in USA, M's mom taught me this recipe. It was so easy , quick and gave us the taste of 'Nankatai' here in USA.... away from India. Like parents-like son......'E' loved the 'Nankatta cookies' (as he calls them) and munched on them throughout the day!
Nankatai has a sugar- butter- flour base and then you can jazz it up with whatever nuts and flavors you want. But a typical nankatai will be ' creamish white' in color and may or maynot have any nuts. When you bite into this blissfull cookie it just melts in your mouth....
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour ( approx)
1tsp vanilla essence
1tsp baking powder
Nuts like Cashews, Almonds, chopped Pistachios
Method:
1) Fold room temp butter till very smooth.No lumps should be seen.
2) Mix powdered sugar,vanilla essence
3) Add the all purpose flour(mixed with baking powder) spoon by spoon, to make a smooth dough.Use only as much needed to make smooth dough.
4) Roll into small balls (about size of a 'Pedha' )
5) Garnish with the nuts.Or make a 'grid' or 'Tictactoe' like design on top of the cookie with a knife and garnish with pistachios.
6) Preheat the oven to 250F. Place the nankatai on cookie sheet with some space between each of them.They will 'spread' will baking.
Bake at 250 F for 20 mins. Watch out! They will burn from the bottom easily.You don't want to darken them.
7) Makes about 40 Nankatais.Store in airtight container.
Enjoy this buttery-sugary..'Melt-in- your-mouth' cookie with a cup of hot tea/ coffee
