Roasted Cumin Biscuits (Zeera Biscuits) - Vegan*

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.

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

Instructions:

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.

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Indian Cashew Fudge - Kaju Katli (Vegan*, Gluten Free)

I am getting back to my roots today with this recipe for Kaju Katli, or Indian Cashew Fudge.  It is delicious, very easy to make, and a total hit!  You will only need 5 ingredients and you can easily make this vegan by omitting the ghee or by substituting coconut oil for the ghee.  

That said, ghee really enhances the flavor . . . so I highly encourage you to use it if you aren't strictly vegan.  

Btw, this recipe doesn't use an oven, but does require upper arm strength.  Sometimes you have to earn your desserts.  :p

Ingredients:

1 cup whole cashews
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon rose water  (you can purchase this at your local Indian, Middle Eastern, or Halal grocer)
1 teaspoon ghee (if vegan*, omit the ghee entirely or sub coconut oil)

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. In a nut/spice grinder, grind the cashews into a fine dry powder.  Do not over grind or the mixture will become oily.  You can also use a food processor or blender, but you'll end up having small chunks of cashews that you'll have to sieve out.  Set aside the dry cashew powder.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, sugar, and rose water.  Mix well and until the sugar melts.  After the sugar melts, allow the sugar water to boil for about 1-2 minutes before turning down the heat to low.
3. Add in the cashew powder and stir, stir, and stir.  You do not want any lumps.
4. Add in the teaspoon of ghee.  And, continue to stir, stir, and stir.
5. Keep stirring for about 15 minutes or until the dough lumps together and leaves the sides of the pan.  Your arm should be tired by the end of this. ;) 
6. Once the dough lumps together and leaves the sides of the pan, remove the saucepan from the heat.
7. Using the spatula, transfer the hot dough to parchment paper.
8. Wait about five minutes for the dough to cool down before you touch it by hand, but don't wait too long as you need to knead the dough while it is hot/warm.
9.  Once you can comfortably touch the dough without burning yourself, knead the dough by hand until smooth/shiny.  Kneading will take about 4-5 minutes.  If your dough looks dry, sprinkle some water on top (but, you probably won't need to if you follow the measurements correctly).
10. Roll the dough into a log and place another piece of parchment paper on top of the log.  (You will have parchment paper on the bottom and on the top now).
11. With a rolling pin, evenly roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness.
12. Cut the dough into 1 inch square or diamond shapes.
13. Enjoy!  If you have any leftovers, store the kaju katli in an airtight container for up to a week.

#halahbakes