Eggless Wholewheat and Oats flour Naankhatai

Sometimes nostalgia hits you so strong that you feel compelled to take a dive in your memory. Yesterday, me and my childhood friend were chatting about the stuff our kids make us do and how pampered their lifestyle is...as happens, the chat swerved from "our kids" to "us as kids"..to school....and eventually, to our tiffins!! She still remembered the naankhatais I would bring to school (we munched them during class😁) and moaned the fact that despite having my recipe she's unable to recreate the taste. I assured her, the recipe is same, what's missing is my granny's love. It was she who used to bake these scrumptious cookies for us...and I guess we will be able to replicate that taste when we become grannys...we both laughed and put the matter to rest. But the naankhatai bug had bit me and I was itching for some baking, so after putting my kiddo to sleep, I went for my round of baking these delectable cookies...but with a healthy twist..Oats flour!!

For me, a perfect Naankhatai is one which has an outer shell with a buttery, melt-in-mouth interior..the crumbs are moist but not greasy...and the flavor of desi ghee, should reflect subtly throughout. I prefer to use my homemade desi ghee for my naankhatai, but since I was out of stock right now, I decided to improvise....I have used unsalted butter with milk powder, in this recipe. And believe me! the flavor is exactly like desi ghee...I am in love with these healthy and toothsome balls of energy...

look at that shell and the crumbs...they are telling their own story!

So, enough of my ramblings now, let's move on to the recipe...but before making these beauties, please read my TIPS, they are essential to get the best results.

Pre-preparation: 1. Preheat your oven to 170℃;

                              2. Line your cookie tray with parchment paper..DON'T grease it.

YIELD: 9-10 regular size Cookies

Ingredients:

My 1 cup=8 oz/237 ml

100 gm Unsalted Butter/desi ghee (1/2 cup), slightly colder than room temperature;

60 gm Wholewheat Pastry Flour/sharbati Atta (1/2 cup));

45 gm Oats flour (1/2 cup)*SEE TIPS below;

2 Tablespoons Full-fat Milk powder;

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda;

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract;

1 scant teaspoon Cinnamon powder;

3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar/jaggery powder, packed and filled;

3 Tablespoons Granulated white sugar;

1/2 cup chopped dried berries/raisins/chocolate chips;

A pinch of salt.

Method:

1. Cream together butter, both the sugars and milk powder, till light and fluffy;

2. Whisk together nicely Wholewheat flour, Oats flour, salt and baking soda;

3. Add in the vanilla extract and cinnamon powder in creamed butter and mix evenly;

4. Add in the flour mix to the butter mix and fold with spatula till it gets mixed evenly and comes together in the form of a ball. Add in your chopped dried berries/raisins and mix lightly. It won't be a kneadable/rollable dough, but it would be smooth and soft and crumbly...similar to a laddoo dough;

5. If the weather is hot, refrigerate the dough for 45-60 minutes. Pinch out small balls of the dough and roll between palms to make a ball. Pack the balls firmly while pinching and rolling. Place them 1" apart on your cookie tray and freeze the tray for 40 minutes.

6. Take the cookie tray out of the freezer and put it directly in the pre-heated oven. Bake at 170℃ for 9-10 minutes.

7. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies remain on the tray for further 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, cool them off on your cooling rack. When completely cool, store the naankhatai in an air-tight container at room temperature. They stay good for a month.

TIPS:

1. I make my own oats flour by grinding old-fashioned Rolled Oats in my grinder/mixer. 1.5 cups of rolled oats yield 1 cup of flour. DON'T USE INSTANT OATS for baking, they are already cooked and processed to such an extent that their natural moisture and texture is lost. As a result, baked goods turn out gummy and hard. Always read the package of your oats to know what kind it is. Instant oats generally have Instant Oats written on the face of the package and get cooked in 1 minute. Avoid them for baking. 

2. The flours are measured by spooning into the cup and then levelling it with a knife. Don't pack the flour firmly.

3. Brown sugar is always measured by packing it firmly in your measuring cup/spoon. Brown sugar and jaggery powder are equal substitute of each other. If your granulated sugar has big granules, pulse it a few times in your grinder and out of that measure 3 Tablespoons firmly packed.

4. The recipe is scalable, and you can double or triple it and freeze the dough for 1 month, or, refrigerated for a week....cling wrap the dough, store in an air-tight container and refrigerate/freeze.

After all this hard work, I think I deserve a Tea-break😉😊😄. My daughter is sleeping and so I will make the most of this "Me-time"...by enjoying my naankhatai, tea and view from my window😍...Happy Baking friends...!!

Love n hugs!! If you have any query or feedback, you can post it as a comment here, or you can even like/comment on my Facebook Page

If you try these Naankhatai, do let me know your feedback!😊👍