Moong Dal Peanut Nankhatai

Moong Dal Peanut Nankhatai is a healthy Indian style cookies. Nankhatai is popularly prepared ghee or butter based biscuits in India and neighboring countries. Nankhatai is basically a Persian and Afghan word. I love the fact that this recipe is glutenfree and satisfies the sweet cravings during festivals. I got the idea of using moong dal in cookies from my foodie friend. So why not try it this Deepavali. It is flavoured with roasted peanut flour, fried gram flour and cardamom. The healthy quotient being the cane sugar used instead of refined sugar. These nankhatai are protein, low carbohydrate and oil rich baked goodie. It’s absolutely guilt free indulgence and irresistible for any festive season.

Here is my simple recipe

Course: Bake

Cuisine: Indian

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 90 minutes

No of Nankhatai: 18 nos

Ingredients:

Moong dal (Split green gram) – ½ cup

Peanuts – ½ cup

Fried gram (hurigadale) – ¼ cup

Cane sugar powder-1 cup

Ghee at room temperature- 3 tbsp

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Almonds sliced- 2 tbsp

Method: 

1. Dry roast the peanut for 2 minutes on medium flame. Cool them and powder it.
2. Dry roast the moong dal for 1-2 minutes on medium flame, cool and powder it fine.
3. Dry roast the gram for few seconds, cool and powder it.
4. Take a bowl, add ghee, cane sugar powder and cream together until its light fluffy.
5. Now add the dry ingredients like moong dal, peanut, gram powder, cardamom powder and prepare the dough.
6. Take small balls, press using your palm and prepare nankhatai. Place the almond slices on top. Refrigerate it for 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
8. Now take out the nankhatai from refrigerator, place them on parchment paper lined baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15- 18 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, after 2 minutes, carefully place them on racks.
10. Allow them to cool completely. Store the healthy tasty melt in mouth moong dal peanut nankhatai in air tight container.

My Notes: 

Dry roasting is important step, to get nice flavored nankhatai.

The dough will be soft due to sugar and ghee, after refrigeration they turn hard.

The quantity of sugar can be varied based on individual taste.

After baking, the nankhatai will be very soft, carefully it should be handled. They turn into melt in mouth kind nankhatai, as they cool down.