Nan Khatai for Diwalli

I was trying to find a cookie from India for the celebration of Diwalli. Diwalli is the festival of light. Traditional gifts for the holiday are candles and sweets.  Cookies do not seem to be an Indian sort of thing. Carrot Halwa, a carrot pudding is really good, but not a cookie. Galub Jamum is wonderful but they are like doughnut holes soaked in a cardamon syrup. They are really really good. Lon loves them, but they do not fit the blog title. I found this recipe on a couple of different web sites and I merged them a little. They are good. Especially with tea.

Nan Khatai

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup semolina

1/2 cup graham flour *

pinch of baking soda -scant 1/8th teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon of cardamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar

sliced almonds

chopped pistachios

chopped dried coconut (it is called coconut powder at the Indian grocer, but it is little pieces of coconut)

*it called for gram flour, but I used the graham flour as that is what I had. It added a bit of a grainy crunchier texture.

Preheat oven to 375

Line a baking sheet with parchment

In a small mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, semolina, graham flour, baking soda and cardamon.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for about 4 minutes till light and fluffy.

Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, till it holds together.  Also using your hands will help it hold together.

I used the medium scoop, and then flattened them in with my hands.

Once they were on the parchment lined baking sheet, I flattened them with my hand, then used a butter knife and made a grid pattern.  I sprinkled them with the pistachios, sliced almonds, and some of the dried coconut.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are brown.  Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes before removing to the rack to cool completely.

Makes about 12.





Next time I will search out gram flour. Might make a smoother cookie, but these are good.

Bonus Brownies!

Truffle Brownies

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups Hershey's syrup. (regular or dark!)

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped nuts (optional, of course)

Sprinkles!

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 13x9 baking pan, set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until well blended. I do this for about 10 minutes. 

Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add syrup, beat until well combined

Stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in nuts.

Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 35 minutes. Remove from oven and add sprinkles. LOTS of sprinkles!  Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

Makes about 36 brownies.

These are the brownies I took to the fire station when the Tiger Scouts went on their GoSeeIt.





There is Peanut Butter in My Chocolate!

Chocolate Cookies with Reese's Mini Cups

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

2 cups Reese's mini cups (2! 8 ounce bags!)

Preheat oven to 325

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture. Blend well. I beat in the reese's mini cups, (less than a minute of beating) some of them broke open and leaving swirls of peanut better and chocolate through the dough.

Using the medium cookie scoop drop onto parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until cookies puff up and bit and the center is set. Cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Together the cookies make a nice presentation! The swirls of peanut butter in the chocolate and the chocolate in the peanut butter. Looks good! And tasty too!

There is Chocolate in My Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Reese's Cups

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup  white granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups mini reese's cups. (2, 8 ounce bags!)

Preheat oven to 375

Cream butter and peanut butter till smooth. Add sugars. Blend well. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Blend into peanut butter mixture

Using a medium scoop, drop two inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.



Coffee Honey Drops

Coffee Honey Drops

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup coffee honey

1/4 cup finely chopped coffee beans

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 1/2 cups flour

In a saucepan over low low heat melt shortening, sugar, coffee beans and honey.  Melt until sugar dissolves. Cool slightly

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl combine eggs, vanilla, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add cooled honey mixture. Blend until smooth. Gradually add flour, blend well.



Drop by medium cookie scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. The coffee will make them a little darker than with regular honey.

To make these without coffee honey, use what ever flavor of honey you would like. The spice can be changed to ginger or nutmeg, depending on honey flavor. And if not using coffee honey, omit coffee beans!  Decrease the flour to 4 cups for a crisper cookie.  These are nice, soft and fragrant.

Apple Cookies

Today is National Apple Day. What better way to celebrate than with apple cookies!  I even had some help making them!

Apple Spice Cookies
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup apple juice
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup apple, peeled, finely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars

Beat in egg and apple juice

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Blend well.



Mix in chopped apple and walnuts
Drop by medium cookie scoop onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet

Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden