Jeera Biscuits - Cumin Cookies

Having a jar of home made cookies for tea time is one of life's little joys! Nothing beats that homely feeling of crumbly soft cookies with a hot cuppa.

Jeera Biscuits/Cumin Cookies are as simple as they sound. Sweet and salty, just right and so light. Here it is, my eggless version, made healthier with wheat - JEERA BISCUITS.

Ingredients: 1 cup wholewheat flour sifted,  1/2 cup butter at room temperature, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp jeera/Cumin seeds.

Make: 

1. Dry roast the Cumin seeds for a few minutes until fragrant. Let it cool completely. 

2. In a stand mixer, whip together the butter and powdered sugar until it is soft and creamy. Add in salt, half of the roast Cumin seeds and wheat flour bit by bit and mix together to make a firm dough. 

3. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and leave in the fridge for about 15 minutes. This makes it easier to work with the dough for shaping.

4. Remove from fridge and cut into small portions for cookies. Use hands to roll into balls and flatten or roll out the dough using a rolling pin and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle extra roast Cumin seeds on top and arrange in a lined baking tray.

5. Bake at 160 deg for about 20 minutes. Flip and bake another 5 minutes if wanting it to be crispier. 

Cool and store in an airtight container ready for tea time! 

Savoury Cookies - Finger Millet & Wheat

Who says baking is always to make naughty foods that are only for indulgence? No way - baking is one of the best ways to keep calories low as you can often create treats that would traditionally be fried without all the oil. 

Often referred to as a "super food" Finger Millet or Raagi, is calcium and iron rich as well as being low GI. Whole wheat also has its well known healthy benefits. So why not enjoy the healthy benefits by making something tasty to munch on!

There are different recipes out there but I made my Savoury Cookies using a simple method which worked out great. Here it is:

Ingredients (for about 12 cookies): 1 cup Raagi/Finger Millet, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup butter at room temperature, handful of curry leaves finely chopped, 1 spoon sesame seeds, chilli flakes, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, milk only enough to form the cookie dough.

Make: In a bowl, mix the raagi, wheat flour, salt and sugar. Then add the butter, chopped curry leaves, chilli flakes and mix with your hands, adding milk to form a soft dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then make small portions and flatten to make a cookie shape. Place all cookies on baking paper in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170 deg for about 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving or storing.

Enjoy your crispy yet crumbly healthy savoury cookies with a cup of tea!