These Roasted Cumin Biscuits are well-known in India/Pakistan as Zeera or Jeera Biscuits. These lightly sweet, salty, crunchy, crumbly and crispy biscuits are often served with chai or tea. Dip in your chai . . . drool!
Please note that "biscuits" or "cookies" in India/Pakistan are not as sweet and are meant to be crispy/crunchy . . . so, if you are looking for a softer and more "American-friendly" cookie - - - check out some of my other cookie recipes here.
Please note that "biscuits" or "cookies" in India/Pakistan are not as sweet and are meant to be crispy/crunchy . . . so, if you are looking for a softer and more "American-friendly" cookie - - - check out some of my other cookie recipes here.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (if vegan*, sub coconut oil)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water, if required
Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.
1. In a pan, dry roast the cumin seeds on a skillet over medium heat until fragrant. This takes about 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the roasted cumin seeds, sugar, and salt.
3. Add in the melted (warm, but not hot) butter to the flour. Mix with your hands and rub the butter throughout the flour. Gently bring the dough together into a ball. If the dough is too dry, you can sprinkle some water into the mixture, but be careful not to add too much.
4. Shape the dough into a disc shape and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate the dough for half an hour.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or a glass. (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup as my "cutter"). Transfer the biscuits onto a baking sheet, making sure the biscuits are at least 1 inch apart.
6. Collect the scraps, form a ball and repeat step #5 until all the scraps are used.
7. Bake the biscuits for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the biscuits cool for at least 5 minutes before moving the biscuits off the baking sheet. The biscuits will firm up further as they cool.
8. Cool for at least another 20 minutes before eating. Patience is key!
9. Enjoy with chai! Store extra biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
#halahbakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (if vegan*, sub coconut oil)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water, if required
Instructions:
Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the roasted cumin seeds, sugar, and salt.
3. Add in the melted (warm, but not hot) butter to the flour. Mix with your hands and rub the butter throughout the flour. Gently bring the dough together into a ball. If the dough is too dry, you can sprinkle some water into the mixture, but be careful not to add too much.
4. Shape the dough into a disc shape and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate the dough for half an hour.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or a glass. (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup as my "cutter"). Transfer the biscuits onto a baking sheet, making sure the biscuits are at least 1 inch apart.
6. Collect the scraps, form a ball and repeat step #5 until all the scraps are used.
7. Bake the biscuits for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the biscuits cool for at least 5 minutes before moving the biscuits off the baking sheet. The biscuits will firm up further as they cool.
8. Cool for at least another 20 minutes before eating. Patience is key!
9. Enjoy with chai! Store extra biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
#halahbakes
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have bought jeera biscuits for years at Indian stores. Now I can try making them myself.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that! Hoping you enjoy them! Feel free to add more sugar if you would like a sweeter biscuit!
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