Accidental Nankhatai: Chocolate Cherry Cashew Vanilla Almond Butter Cookies 🍒

Early‑season cherries (rare treasures in my corner of the world) seemed to glow from every stall at the market, along with Cherry Almond Butter, Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Cherry Vanilla Cashews. The cherries 🍒 were calling my name and I couldn’t resist letting them spark something new in my kitchen. What emerged was a cookie that felt both familiar and entirely my own: rich, nutty, studded with chocolate and cherries, and deeply comforting.

When I shared a photo of these bites of cherry yumminess with a dear friend in India, he surprised me with the sweetest revelation: I had unknowingly baked something reminiscent of Nankhatai, the traditional Indian butter cookie beloved for its melt‑in‑your‑mouth texture and gentle warmth. That accidental overlap of cultures and flavors made the cookies feel even more special to me. It was as if this little creation had quietly bridged the distance between us, deepening a connection I already cherish.

Nankhatai are traditional, eggless Indian shortbread cookies known for their melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich, buttery flavor, often spiced with cardamom and made with a mix of all-purpose flour, gram flour (besan), and semolina (suji). Popular across the Indian subcontinent, they are a beloved teatime snack, perfect with chai, and can be baked in an oven, pressure cooker, or even a stovetop cooker. 

Key characteristics

• Type: Shortbread cookie
• Origin: Indian subcontinent, with Persian roots (from "naan" meaning bread and "khatai" meaning biscuit)
• Flavor: Buttery, with a distinct aroma from cardamom
• Texture: Crumbly and delicate, designed to melt in the mouth
• Key ingredients: Flour (all-purpose, gram, semolina), sugar, ghee (clarified butter), and cardamom powder
• Dietary: Typically eggless 

 

Accidental Nankhatai: Chocolate Cherry Cashew Vanilla Almond Butter Cookies

8 Tbs. butter, softened
1 cup Cherry Almond Butter
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ cup Cherry Vanilla Roasted Cashews
1 cup Chocolate Covered Cherries

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter, almond butter, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. 

Add the flour, ½ cup at a time, as well as the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, until well combined.

Fold in the cashews and chocolate cherries.

Form into 1” diameter balls and flatten into discs, placing on baking sheets to bake for 12-15 minutes, until just beginning to brown.

Remove from the oven and cool before serving and indulging.