In India, tea and cookies (biscuits) go hand in hand like a lovely match made in heaven. In India, late afternoon teatime is a big deal - ranging from an elaborate affair with assorted sandwiches, teacakes, samosa, pakoras and the like to a much simpler casual affair that involved only the drinking of tea. In our family, the whole teatime affair fell somewhere in between – Indian masala tea always served with an assortment of savory & sweet snacks.

These cookies can easily be made using any toasted unsalted nuts or even a combination of various nuts.


CASHEW COOKIES

Ingredients:

1¾ cups toasted unsalted cashews
1 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
½ cup sugar, to taste
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
pinch of ground cardamom powder
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp pure vanilla extract (or almond extract)
1¼ cups all-purpose flour (maida), sifted
½ cup extra cashew pieces, roughly chopped – for garnish
powdered sugar, optional

METHOD:

Using a food processor, pulse the cashews until they are finely ground. Then add in the oil and blend until you have a smooth thick puree (about 5 minutes or so). Set aside until needed.

Using an electric stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), combine the butter with the cashew puree, regular sugar, brown sugar, ground cardamom powder, ground allspice, freshly grated nutmeg & salt. Mix together & beat on medium high speed until light & fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Next, add in the egg along with the vanilla extract. Beat for just another minute before adding in the sifted flour. Mix on low speed until all of the ingredients are well combined. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure that the oven racks are positioned in the middle of the oven. Next, line 2 baking trays with parchment paper & set aside until needed. Then start making round balls out of the cold cookie dough (about golf ball size) and place on the baking tray about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a few cashew pieces.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotate the baking trays & bake for another 6-8 minutes. These cookies can be made either soft or slightly crispy, depending on your personal preference (longer for crispier cookies). Let the cookies cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top with a little powdered sugar & store in an airtight container.


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add mini chocolate chips, mini white chocolate chips or even top the cookies with Hershey’s kisses instead of nuts.

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