Peanut Butter Nankhatai
A simple recipe for your quick and impressive snack list, a take on the Indian version of a shortcrust cookie, by making an addition of the crowd favorite peanut butter spread, which provides a depth of flavor to this delicious Indian confection, prepared with desi ghee and layer of roasted poppy seeds to provide that extra crispy top layer.
A nankhatai is a classic Indian crowd favorite and adding the twist of peanut butter is bound to impress your houseguests or relatives. Best to serve as a snack with tea and coffee.
Table of Contents
- What is Nankhatai?
- Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Nankhatai
- How to make Peanut Butter Nankhatai?
- Expert Tips
- Recipe Card
What is Nankhatai?
Nankhatai is the Indian version of the Classic Scottish Shortbread, the major difference being the addition of clarified butter or ghee in the nankhatai as opposed to regular butter in the shortbread cookie. Surat is acknowledged as the place of origin for the Nankhatai in the 16th century, during the period when the Indians and the Dutch were regarded as important traders of spice. When the dutch baker's handed over their bakeries to the Iranians, they started the sale of dried breads to please the locals, inspiring them to make the nankhatai. There can be several variations of this confection by adding the desired flavor through spices, spreads and nuts, for example almond nankhatai, etc or can be made in the classic form of a caramel shortbread.
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Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Nankhatai
A nankhatai is a Classic Indian crowd favorite and adding the twist of peanut butter is bound to impress your houseguests or relatives. The simplistic texture and taste of the nankhatai with the added richness of the peanut butter makes the cookie a delight for the eater.These simple cookies can be whipped up quickly and easily for any occasion, be it people coming over, serving as snacks with your daily tea and coffee, giving as a thoughtful gift to your loved ones or just binge eating them straight from the tray, as and when they come out of the oven.
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How to make Peanut Butter Nankhatai?
1) Before starting to prepare your dough, preheat your oven to 180 degree celsius. This is done to prevent you from baking in a cold oven, which would result in a poor end result.
2) Once your oven is on, in a large glass bowl, add your butter, following that, add the ghee, and lastly sprinkle in the granulated sugar and start creaming the whole thing with an electric hand blender. Creaming aerates the butter and sugar mixture making it light and fluffy.
3) To the creamed mixture add the measured amount of peanut butter and start to incorporate it in the mixture, using a hand blender or a silicone spatula. Silicon spatulas are essential tools that help to wipe down the sides of the bowl, so don't forget to do that.
4) Now add your eggs to the peanut butter mixture and start to whip them up using a blender for about 2-3 minutes. Whip them until they start to turn the batter into a lighter pale shade, which would result in a nice and crumbly cookie.
5) Add your dry ingredients to your whipped batter and start to fold the mixture using a silicone spatula so as to form a cohesive dough. Using a silicone spatula wipe down the bowl and mix each and every component evenly.
6) Divide the cookie dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place them onto a Meyer Bakemaster Cookie Tray. Top your cookies with toasted poppy seeds and put them into your preheated 180 degree celsius oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
7) Take your cookies out and let them cool down a little before serving them.
Expert Tips
1) While baking anything, it is really important to have all your ingredients at room temperature for better mixing.
2) Make sure to whip your eggs thoroughly till they become light and fluffy.
3) It's better to sift your dry ingredients like flour and leaveners before incorporating them in the wet mixture.
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4) Always preheat your oven for best baking results.
*Note: Make sure to cream the butter and sugar properly before moving onto the next step. Do not over mix the dough after adding the flour as it and can result in a very dense cookie. It is best served as an accompaniment with tea or coffee, as a quick solution for when the guests arrive.
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