Khara Biscuit/Indian Spiced Savory Cookies

Khara Biscuits are savory Indian style spicy whole wheat flour biscuits or shortbread like cookies tinged with the spicy flavors of ginger, cilantro, jalapenos and hing/asafetida powder. They come out so flaky and buttery, you would love to munch on it with a cup of your evening coffee or tea or even as a mid morning snack.

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon hing/asafetida powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup butter, softened to room temperature

3 to 4 green chilis/jalapenos

3 tablespoons coriander leaves/cilantro

2 tablespoons curry leaves

1 inch piece ginger

1 to 2 teaspoons yogurt

Extra flour for dusting

In a small blender jar, add green chilies, coriander leaves, curry leaves and ginger.

Blend to a paste. You can choose to make a fine paste or leave it coarse; I love to see the bits of green herbs in my cookies, so I made a coarse paste.

In a large bowl, sift all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, corn flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, turmeric powder and hing or mix with a wire whisk.

Add softened butter along with the blended paste (not more than 2 tablespoons of the paste).

Mix with your hands to a coarse breadcrumb like mixture.

Add yogurt a teaspoon at a time till you get a smooth dough; just gather to form a ball.

I added about 1 ½ teaspoons of yogurt.

• Cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Centigrade.
• Grease a baking pan lightly and keep aside.
• Make 2 portions of the dough.
• Roll one portion to a thin disc about ¼ inches in thickness.
• Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into desired shapes, prick them with a fork (this prevents the cookie from puffing up while baking).

Place them on the greased baking pan.

Bake at 200 degrees Centigrade for 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.

Remove from oven and gently place on cooling racks to cool completely.

Continue with the rest of the dough. Cool completely.

Enjoy crisp, buttery, healthy and spicy savory cookies with your evening chai/coffee, at your next party or as a mid morning snack.

Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!

For a flaky cookie, do not overwork the dough.

Adjust the amount of green chilies, spices and herbs according to your taste. Adding turmeric powder is optional.

For a slightly sweeter cookie, add a teaspoon or more of sugar.