0 from 15 votes
Khalifa Nan Khatai (Pakistani Cardamom Shortbread Cookies)
Buttery, crispy, full of almonds, and deliciously aromatic, Nan Khatai (Pakistani cardamom shortbread cookies) is very popular in Pakistan.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 24 Cookies
Calories: 178 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
Indian , Pakistani
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tablespoon gram flour (see notes)
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup ghee
- 20 pods cardamom (See notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ cup milk
Instructions
- Dry roast the almonds in a non stick frying pan.
- Cool and place the almonds in a ziplock bag and pound them with a rolling pin to chop them roughly.
- Dry roast the gram flour in a saucepan.
- Crush the cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle and remove the seeds. Throw away the green outer shells and grind the seeds to a powder.
- Mix all of your ingredients except the milk using a KitchenAid stand mixer or hand beaters (see notes).
- Cool the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Shape the cookie dough into 24 round balls and place them on 2 baking sheets, leaving some room in between for the cookies to expand.
- Flatten the top with your hand to create a round disc.
- Brush the top with the milk and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies and cool completely on the tray before moving to a cooling rack. (see notes)
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Gram flour - This is also known as Besan in South Asia and is made from split brown chickpeas, known as Chana Dal. It's similar to chickpea flour, made from garbanzo beans, and the two can be substituted if necessary.
- Cardamom - I prefer fresh whole cardamom pods to store-bought powder. Take the pods, split them using a mortar and pestle, and remove the seeds. Discard the husks and grind the seeds to a coarse powder. This aroma is much more pungent than store-bought cardamom powder, but if it's more convenient, use 1 teaspoon of the powder.
- Mixing The Cookies - I use a Kitchen Aid with a paddle attachment for mixing my cookie dough. Start at speed 2 and work your way up to speed 4. A hand mixer or a food processor with a dough blade can also be used. If you don't have a lot of appliances, the dough can be mixed by hand as well.
- Cooling The Cookies - Since the cookies are made of ghee, they must be cooled properly so the fat has time to solidify. They may seem too soft at first, but it's best to remove them from the oven after 20 minutes and let them cool for an hour before consuming them.
Nutrition Information
Serving
1cookie
Calories
178kcal
(9%)
Carbohydrates
19g
(6%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
11g
(17%)
Saturated Fat
5g
(25%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
4g
Trans Fat
0.001g
Cholesterol
19mg
(6%)
Sodium
25mg
(1%)
Potassium
77mg
(2%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
9g
(18%)
Vitamin A
3IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
0.2mg
(0%)
Calcium
23mg
(2%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 24Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 178
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cookie | |
| Calories | 178kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 19g | 6% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0.001g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 19mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 25mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 77mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 3IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.2mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 23mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.