Kerala Bakery Style Masala Cookies

Keralites are big fans of bakery goods. You will be amazed to see that every third or fourth shop on the road is a bakery and everyone will swear by their local favourite one. It’s a complete bliss to drive through Kerala roads especially during Christmas season, when the entire state is in a festive mood. The air would be filled with

the aroma of spices and Christmas cakes. There is no denial that Malayalis love their tea (called as “chaya” in local language) and what could be a better accompaniment to it than these spicy crunchy munchy masala cookies. All the roadside chaya kadas (tea shops) would have an array of big glass jars filled with an assortment of biscuits and cookies.

Since I have started my blog, many of my followers have been requesting me to post this bakery style masala cookies. Extremely sorry for the delay from my side. No excuses… Other than a big apology 🙂 But better late than never. So here is my take on these yummy delight. Most of the recipes use egg as a binding agent as well as a wash to get a sheen on top. As with 99% of my recipes, this too is an eggless one. I have never eaten these biscuits from Kerala, so I do not claim any authenticity. But one thing I can assure you… these definitely taste delicious 🙂 So, how about trying it and sharing your feedback with me? All the ingredients used are pretty much easily available in almost all kitchens. As is the case with most store bought cookies, this too is traditionally made with all purpose flour. But me being me, I have used organic whole wheat flour and some powdered cane sugar instead of refined white sugar.

You can get some of my savoury cookie recipes by clicking on this link. I shall love to get your feedback on the comments section or you can mail me at pradeepa.nair0@gmail.com or message me on Facebook. Till then each one of you stay safe and stay healthy and happy 🙂 Stay tuned for more Christmas recipes.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour 200 gm
• Salt to taste
• Black sesame seeds 1 tsp
• White sesame seeds 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Dried red chilies 4-5
• Ginger one inch piece
• Garlic 3-4
• Grated coconut 2 tbsp
• Shallots 4-5
• Black pepper 18-20
• Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves handful
• Coriander leaves handful
• Baking powder 1/4 tsp
• Baking soda a pinch
• Butter 100 gm
• Powdered cane sugar 2 tbsp
• Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp
• Clove powder 1/4 tsp
• Cashew nuts handful
• Milk 1-2 tbsp

Method:

• Cream the butter and sugar till it’s light in texture and pale in colour.

• Mix the flour, salt, sesame seeds, cinnamon powder, clove powder, baking soda and baking powder with a whisk.

• Dry roast the grated coconut, dried red chilies, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and coriander leaves till it’s loses some of its moisture.

• Now, grind these into a dry coarse mixture. Do not add water.

• Transfer this masala into the bowl containing the creamy butter and sugar mixture.

• Now add the dry ingredients to this mixture. Mix gently. Furthermore, add the chopped cashew pieces.

• Sprinkle one or two tablespoons of milk and combine into a dough. Do not knead the dough, just bring all the ingredients together.

• Cover and allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with parchment and preheat the oven at 150-160 degree Celsius for around ten minutes.
• Take lemon size balls of the dough and flatten it in your palm.
• Arrange them on the parchment lined baking tray, leaving some gap between two consecutive cookies.

• Bake these for around 30-40 minutes or till the bottom and sides turn a beautiful golden colour.

• Remove the tray from the oven and place the tray on a wire rack. Leave it undisturbed for 6-7 minutes.
• Slowly transfer these cookies onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Store in airtight container and enjoy it with your evening tea or coffee.

Notes:

• Preheat and bake these using both the rods and fan mode.
• Please check after 25 minutes or so as each oven behave differently.
• They will be slightly soft when out of the oven, but will eventually become crisp on cooling.
• Cool completely before storing in containers, or else they will turn soggy.
• If you feel that the cookies have become soggy, bake it again for few minutes at a low temperature, say 120 degree or so.
• You may skip or add any spices of your choice.
• You may even used jaggery powder instead of sugar. Adjust the quantity according to your preferences.
• I got 24 small cookies with the above measurements.