Crispy Ghee-Spiced Indian Biscuits
This savoury cookies recipe delivers crisp, crumbly ghee-based biscuits spiced with ajwain and cardamom — the kind of namkeen snack that disappears from the tin faster than it takes to make. Unlike sweet cookies, these are built on a short dough logic: a high fat-to-flour ratio that coats gluten strands before they develop, producing a melt-in-the-mouth texture that is firm on first bite but dissolves cleanly.
Rooted in the tradition of South Asian namkeen baking, these savoury biscuits belong to the same family as mathri and shakarpare — crisp, spiced, and deeply satisfying without any sweetness. Ghee provides the base fat, lending a distinctly nutty, clarified richness that butter cannot replicate.
Ajwain (carom seeds) brings a bold, thyme-adjacent sharpness, while cardamom adds warmth and a subtle floral note. Milk powder plays a quiet but important role: its lactose and milk proteins accelerate Maillard browning, giving these cookies their characteristic golden colour and a faint dairy-caramel edge.
What you will need:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
| AP Flour | 270g |
| Milk Powder | 30g |
| Baking Powder | 4g |
| Salt | 9g |
| Cardamom Powder | 1g |
| Ajwain (Carom Seeds) | 4g |
| Ghee | 122g |
| Water | 60g |
| Powdered Sugar | 60g |
Equipments:
- Mixing bowls (medium and large)
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with paddle attachment
- Kitchen scale (gram-accurate)
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters (round or shaped, 5–6 cm diameter)
- Baking trays lined with parchment paper
- Cling film / plastic wrap
- Wire cooling rack
General Details:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15–18 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes (including 20-minute chill)
Yield: Approximately 28–32 cookies
Difficulty: Beginner
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Cookies & Biscuits
Storage: Airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate — condensation softens the crumb.
Instructions:
Prepare Dough
- Combine AP flour, milk powder, baking powder, salt, cardamom powder, and ajwain in a large bowl and whisk briefly to distribute evenly. Set aside.
- Beat ghee and powdered sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer (paddle attachment) on medium speed until pale, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in texture, about 3–4 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl once halfway through.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the creamed ghee in two additions, mixing on low speed after each.
- Drizzle in the water gradually and mix until a soft, cohesive dough just comes together, do not overmix.
- The dough should be smooth and pliable but not sticky; if it crumbles, add water 5g at a time.
Chill, Shape and Bake
- Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Chilling firms the ghee, making the dough easier to roll and preventing excessive spread during baking. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced 160°C) while the dough chills.
- Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately 6–7mm thickness.
- Cut into desired shapes and transfer to lined baking trays, spacing 2 cm apart.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, rotating the tray at the halfway point, until the cookies are lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool completely on the tray before transferring to a wire rack — the cookies firm up as they cool and will be fragile while warm.
More Variations
- Chilli & Cumin : Replace ajwain with 1 tsp ground cumin and add ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder for a warmly spiced, mildly hot variant.
- Herb & Garlic : Omit cardamom and ajwain; fold in 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan for a European-style savoury biscuit.
- Sesame Seed : Press 1 tsp white sesame seeds onto the surface of each cookie before baking for a nutty finish and visual contrast.
- Whole Wheat Variation : Substitute 90g of the AP flour with whole wheat atta for a more rustic, slightly earthy crumb.
- Cheese-Enriched : Reduce salt to 6g and fold in 40g finely grated sharp cheddar with the dry ingredients for a richer, umami-forward cookie.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve alongside masala chai or a strong South Indian filter coffee for a classic pairing.
- Arrange on a wooden board with green chutney, tamarind dip, and achaar for a savoury snack spread.
- Pack into a kraft paper box lined with tissue paper for festive gifting — they travel and keep exceptionally well.
- Crumble over thick dahi (yoghurt) with a drizzle of honey and fresh herbs for an unconventional sweet-savoury finish.
- Pair with sharp aged cheddar or blue cheese for a wine-and-cheese board context.
- Crumble into coarse crumbs and use as a savoury base for tarts in place of a pastry shell.
- Use as a vehicle for canapés: pipe cream cheese or labneh onto whole cookies and top with a caper or olive.
- Grind into fine crumbs, press into a tart mould, blind-bake for 10 minutes, and fill with savoury custard for a shortcrust-style quiche without pastry-making.
Applied Techniques
- Creaming method : Beating fat and sugar together to incorporate air, creating a lighter texture and more tender crumb in the finished cookie.
- Short dough (pâte sablée logic) : A high fat-to-flour ratio coats the gluten strands before hydration, inhibiting gluten development and producing a crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- Maillard reaction (accelerated by milk powder) : Milk solids contain lactose and proteins that brown faster than wheat alone, deepening colour and contributing dairy-caramel flavour notes.
- Retarding (dough chilling) : Chilling firms the fat, reducing spread and making the dough easier to roll and cut cleanly.
Nutrition Profile / 100g
| Nutrient | Amount |
| Calories | 472 kcal |
| Total Fat | 24.3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57.2 g |
| Sugars | 10.8 g |
| Protein | 7.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.6 g |
| Sodium | 412 mg |
Calculated per 100g of finished biscuit. Total dough weight ~560g; estimated baked yield ~520g after moisture loss. Values based on USDA standard composition data.
Approximate values based on recipe formula. Actual nutrition may vary.
Tips for Best Results:
- Do not skip the chill step. Ghee-based doughs are naturally softer than butter doughs at room temperature; 20 minutes in the fridge is the difference between clean cuts and smeared edges.
- Cream the ghee and sugar thoroughly. The aeration built in this step is what gives these cookies their characteristic short, crumbly texture, under-creaming produces a dense, tight crumb.
- Roll to 6–7mm consistently. Thinner cookies bake faster and tend toward a harder, snap-style texture; thicker cookies stay crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth.
- Watch the oven closely in the last 2 minutes, these cookies brown quickly due to the milk powder, which accelerates Maillard browning. Pull when the edges just turn golden.
- Ajwain is assertive, if serving to an unfamiliar audience, lightly crush the seeds before adding to mellow the sharpness while keeping the aroma.
- Cool completely before storing. Even 10 minutes of residual steam trapped in an airtight container will soften the crumb irreversibly.
Troubleshooting Guide:
| Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
| Dough too crumbly to roll | Insufficient water or under-creamed ghee | Add water 5g at a time and knead briefly; re-chill before rolling |
| Cookies spread flat | Dough not chilled, or oven too slow to set structure | Chill cut cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before baking |
| Dense, hard texture | Ghee under-creamed; overmixed after flour addition | Cream for a full 3–4 minutes; add flour on low speed and stop as soon as dough comes together |
| Over-browning on the bottom | Dark baking tray or oven hot spot | Use a light-coloured tray on the middle rack; double-stack trays if needed |
| Cookies too soft after cooling | Underbaked or stored before fully cool | Bake until edges are visibly golden; cool completely before sealing |
| Ajwain flavour too dominant | Seeds used whole and concentrated in patches | Lightly crush seeds in a mortar before adding to distribute flavour evenly |
| Cookies break apart when lifting | Moved from tray while still warm | Always cool on the tray for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a rack |
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These cookies are ideal for afternoon tea alongside masala chai, for festive gifting tins (they keep for up to two weeks), or as a savoury component on a cheese board. They are also a genuinely beginner-friendly bake — no special equipment, no lamination, no proofing — just mix, chill, roll, and bake.
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