Naan-Katai (Indian cookies)

This is my first post after Diwali, you will notice that my blog has got a face-lift. The feed back that I got from time to time from some of you has compelled me to make these changes. My son-in-law was kind enough to help me with these changes. I have changed the colour of the background; I have added a search box wherein you can type the title of any of my recipes to find them quickly and finally buttons for easy and quick sharing on facebook and twitter. Looking forward to more constructive criticism and feed back from you all.

And now that Diwali is over, I am sure all of you have had your fill of Diwali sweets. But as they say, if one has a sweet tooth, one just needs an excuse to have them more! Diwali or no Diwali ! So here is my first Diwali sweet recipe. This one is very easy to prepare and very tasty too. You will just love it. Try it out and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

1 cup - Sifted maida (all purpose flour) or self raising flour
1 tsp -  Baking powder
½ cup - Sifted gram four
½ cup - powdered sugar
½ cup - Ghee (clarified butter)
2tsps - Cardamom powder (freshly ground)
½ tsp - Cinnamon powder (freshly ground)

Garnish:
1tsp - Cardamom powder
1tbsp - Powdered Pistachio nuts


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Centigrade.
2. Combine all the above ingredients (except garnish) in a bowl and knead it well with your hand for 10 minutes.
3. Then divide this into 32 small balls. Roll each ball between two palms till they are smooth (no cracks should appear) and slightly flatten them with your thumb in the cente. Place them on the greased baking tray with an inch space between each.
4. Press a little garnish on top of each flattened ball. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes.
5. Cool on wire rack.
6. When cooled, store it in an air-tight container.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Baking time       : 20 mins

Note:

• If self-raising flour is used, then omit baking powder.
• It is advisable to sift both the flours together with baking powder (if added) before combining with all the other ingredients.
• Will last for a month if stored in an air-tight container.