Nosh on Nan Khatai - Indian Eggless Cookies

Can you hear me?.......I am whispering in a low pitched voice since the kids are napping. I want them to continue to nap for another hour as I have gathered the ingredients to bake this melt in the mouth Indian cookie - nan khatai. It is a quite Sunday afternoon in my house since the kids have gone down for a nap. Oh guess what? their dad nodded off while patting them to sleep. The ingredients on the kitchen counter are ready to take a leap into the mixing bowl, rest in the refrigerator and bake up in the oven. Oh boy, I should admit I enjoy occasional solitude when I can measure and mix with composure.

I was introduced to this cookie by my friend whom we meet regularly for play dates. I saw my little girl gorge quite a few cookies in her house that evening. With so much excitement being shown towards this sweet treat by my little girl I obtained the recipe from my friend, but never attempted to bake it until today. I prefer to stay away from the oven when my little darlings are around knowing them for their mischievous moves. Today I am baking nan khatai for the first time with a few tweaks of my own. The Sunday evening tea will be accompanied with mouth watering nan khatai and jubilant faces. I cannot wait for my little girl to taste these cookies and say "Um mm Um mm Um mm deeeeeelishun".

Nan khatai is a popular tea time snack originally from Surat, Gujarat. It is an egg less cookie using ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter to give a rich texture and flavor. It gets a big thumbs up from lacto vegetarians since they consume diary products but refrain from eggs. This cookie is very versatile as it accommodates any nuts and toppings. In this recipe I have used cocoa powder to make chocolate nan khatai and it is taking an entry into Kitchen Corners December cook off - Giving Cookie. A few of these cookies are boxed for a sweet friend while the rest are to be relished by my family.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour/maida
• 1/2 cup fine sugar
• 1/4 cup melted ghee (clarified butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Method:

• Sieve all purpose flour/maida, baking power, baking soda and salt into the mixing bowl.
• Add sugar and milk.
• While adding the ghee little at a time, start kneading the ingredients into a smooth pliable dough without any cracks.
• Remove 1/4 portion of the dough and knead in cocoa powder.
• Cover both the doughs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide both the doughs into 10 equal portions.
• Roll each portion into tubes with 1:3 proportion (chocolate to unflavored) of same lengths.The chocolate tube will be thinner than the unflavored tube.
• Roughly braid the tubes and roll the dough in your hands until the doughs swirl. Flatten them between palms, the center being slightly thicker than the edges.
• Bake them in the preheated oven for about 13 to 15 minutes.
• When they are out of the oven, arrange them on a cooling rack to bring it to room temperature.
• Store it in an air tight container for several days.

Denouement: 

As soon as the kids and their dad woke up, the aroma of freshly baked cookies brought them straight to the kitchen. We all devoured the cookies right from the cooling rack. Just a few leftover cookies to box for a weekday evening snack while the already boxed ones are reaching my friend in a day or two.

 

Linking this post to Chocolate Extravaganza - Ria's Collection

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Fondant Fun

           Happy Birthday to my pride and joy!!!!!!
   

             I still remember holding him in my arms a year back and its time to celebrate his first birthday. I have decided to try fondant cake for the first time. I could involve the big sister in my venture as she was jumping with enthusiasm to bake a cake for lil brother's first birthday. With two little ones, I am a very busy mom. Baking a cake with them around is going to be a real adventure. With time constraints, I decided that a few ready made items were necessary for this cake but nothing could replace the motherly love that was poured into it. With the boys busy with their iPhones ( yes, the birthday boy was playing with mine and the dad with his!), the girls got to work. Me me me..... said the big sis and thus started fond memories...

Fondant Familiarity:
          Originated in Europe in the 18th century Fondant was created to decorate elaborate cakes, usually for royalty. Fondant is a pliable sugar recipe that is used to cover cakes and cup cakes. It gives a smooth finish to the cake. Its a lot of fun to work with because it is like play-doh, and can be moulded into figurines and cut into shapes using cookie cutters. The possibilities are endless. There is white fondant and also fondant in pastel, natural, neon and primary colors. Food color can be added to white fondant to get the desired color or shade. Left over fondant can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for several days. It is available at craft stores in the cake decorating aisle. I bought mine at Michael's.

Cake and Decoration:
Pillsbury cake mix                   1 Box
Heart Shape cake pan              1
Butter cream icing mix             1 Box
Ready to use
rolled white fondant                  1 Box (8oz)
Ready to use
pastel multi pack                     1 Box
Green food color                      1 Tsp
Cookie cutters                        Shapes of your choice

         For making the cake, I used Pillsbury yellow cake mix. Follow the simple directions on the package to bake the cake. I used a heart shaped cake pan which holds exactly one box of cake mix batter. You may choose a pan with a special ship if you desire. When you buy the moulded cake pan check the quantity of batter it can hold. Most of them hold one box of cake mix batter. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then place it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before frosting.

           Butter cream icing is applied on the cake before fondant is laid on it. Butter cream icing mix is readily available at craft stores. Follow package directions to make the icing.

           Dust the working surface with corn flour. Add food color of your choice if using white fondant and knead it. Now roll the fondant like chapati dough using rolling pin big enough to cover your cake. Transfer the rolled fondant to the cake. Smooth it out from top of the cake towards the edges to remove any air pockets. Do the same on the sides and cut the excess fondant hanging on the sides with a knife. Now the cake is ready for your creativity. You can add contrast color borders, add cut shapes or add moulded shapes. Apply water on the back of the fondant to stick it to the surface. Thats it .. a simple but elegant cake. One advantage that I saw was that if you make it a day or two before, it does not need to be refrigerated. An added advantage considering how crowded refrigirators are these days.

            This cake was really a fun project as the big sis could decorate it with her imagination. We made cars and airplanes for the birthday boy and pink flowers and hearts for the big sis. She helpled me with cutting the fondant into shapes with cookie cutters . Look at me Appa...... she proudly exclaimed ! I am sure that a bakery can make a good cake, but baking at home will create memories that will last forever and are priceless.

             Enjoy the eye pleasing and mouth watering fondant cake.