Thandai Cookies
Mar 06, 2020, Updated May 23, 2023
Eggless Thandai Cookies make a special treat for Holi. These are easy to make at home with basic pantry ingredients and packed with so much flavor from the spices and nuts!
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Eggless Thandai Cookies- buttery cookies with all the flavors of thandai!
The cardamom, fennel, peppercorn, rose, saffron gives these cookies a distinct flavor, so good with coffee.
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Hope you guys have been enjoying my holi recipes.
For Indian festivals, I always try to come up with recipes that are not only easy to make but also look and taste good.
Earlier this week I shared the white chocolate thandai mousse which uses my homemade thandai powder and here’s the next one using the same powder- eggless Thandai Cookies!
Now, who doesn’t like cookies? I always try to bake cookies at home for my chai time.
So this time around, I thought of infusing my simple butter cookies with thandai flavor for holi and they came out really well.
I adore spices in cookies whether it’s cinnamon or cardamom and these thandai cookies have so many spices going on, so I had to love these right?
These Thandai Cookies
✔ are eggless and easy to make
✔ made with basic pantry ingredients
✔ packed with so much flavor with all the wonderful and aromatic spices
✔ goes well with milk, chai or coffee
These simple cookies made with butter, flour and sugar.
The flavoring comes from the thandai powder of course which is made from nuts, dried rose petals, peppercorn, poppy seeds, saffron and cardamom! I also add some extra crushed dried rose petals in the dough.
The cookies get the yellow color from the use of saffron milk. To make the milk, heat a little milk in a pan on medium heat. Once it is warm, add saffron and let it bloom.
Always crush the saffron strands before you add them to the warm milk, it will give out a beautiful color.
Once the dough is done, you only need to chill the dough then sliced and bake.
While rolling the dough logs, I rolled the log into some crushed dried rose petals. This is totally optional and you don’t have to do it, I only did it for decorative purposes.
In fact, for an extra texture/crunch, you can also roll the cookie logs into crushed nuts like almonds and cashews.
How long to bake these cookies? For this recipe, I cut the cookies 1/2 inch thick and so I baked these for around 22-23 minutes at 350 F since I wanted them quite crispy.
For less crispy cookies, bake for around 20 minutes.
If you cut the cookies 1/4 inch thick, bake for around 18 minutes only.
How to store these cookies? These thandai cookies stay good at room temperature for weeks. Let them cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Method
1- In a large bowl whisk together flour, thandai powder, crushed dried rose petals and baking powder. Also add 1/4 teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter in the recipe. Set aside.
2- Warm 1.5 tablespoons milk in a pan. Once it’s little warm, add crushed saffron to it and turn off the heat. Let it sit while you make the cookie dough.
3- Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or use your mixer), beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
4- Add in the previously prepared saffron milk and the rose water. You might need not add the whole saffron milk at this point, add 1 tablespoon and after adding the dry ingredients (see next step below) see if the dough is coming together. If it isn’t, then only add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon.
5- Add the dry ingredients and mix using the paddle attachment, it will all come together as a dough. You can also use your hands to bring the dough together.
6- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Then roll each part to form a log, 7 inches long. Roll each log into crushed dried rose petals. This is optional.
Cover the dough logs with a cling sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
7- Once chilled, take out the logs and using a knife cut them into cookies, around 1/2 inch thick. Also, pre-heat the oven to 350 F degrees.
8- Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 to 23 minutes or until crispy and lightly browned from the bottom. Since I like really crispy cookies, I baked these for around 23 minutes.
If you cut thinner cookies (1/4 inch thick), then bake for 18 minutes.
Let the cookies cool and then store these thandai cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy.
If you’ve tried this Thandai Cookies Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Thandai Cookies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour 195 grams
- 5 tablespoons thandai powder
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried rose petals
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-1.5 tablespoons milk
- pinch saffron
- 1 stick salted butter 113 grams (1/2 cup), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, thandai powder, crushed dried rose petals and baking powder. Also add 1/4 teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter in the recipe. Set aside.
- Warm 1.5 tablespoons milk in a pan. Once it's little warm, add crushed saffron to it and turn off the heat. Let it sit while you make the cookie dough.
- Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or use your mixer), beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
- Add in the saffron milk and the rose water. You might need not add the whole saffron milk at this point, add 1 tablespoon and after adding the dry ingredients (see next step below) see if the dough is coming together. If it isn't, then only add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix using the paddle attachment, it will all come together as a dough. You can also use your hands to bring the dough together.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Then roll each part to form a log, 7 inch long. Roll each log into crushed dried rose petals. This is optional. Cover the dough logs with a cling sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Once chilled, take out the logs and using a knife cut them into cookies, around 1/2 inch thick. Also, pre-heat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 to 23 minutes or until crispy and lightly browned from the bottom. Since I like really crispy cookies, I baked these for around 23 minutes.If you cut thinner cookies (1/4 inch thick), then bake for 18 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool and then store these thandai cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy.
Notes
- You can roll the cookies into crushed nuts before slicing. You can even add some crushed nuts on top of the cookies before baking.
- I recommend using salted butter for this recipe. If using unsalted butter, make sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the recipe.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can u freeze the logs and make them the next week
I think that will be fine
Lovely…can I make with wheat flour or gluten free pls..any changes in recipe
wheat flour yes, gluten-free no since I haven’t tested the recipe with gluten-free flour
What a wonderful recipe to try, Manali! The photos are beautiful. I love making butter cookies and having an amazing spice one is very exciting ! Can’t wait to try to make the thandai powder and then these beauuuutiful cookies… They must smell just amazing as they bake. I am with you- I prefer butter cookies baked just a few minutes longer to bring out the butter flavor and to crisp up the texture at the same time.
Thank you for sharing your inspirational recipes-your site is terrific!
Thank you Margaret!
Bake it in middle row is understood, but should we put on both lower and top rods of the oven or only lower rod which is generally used to bake cakes?
as I mentioned, I don’t understand rods. I live in the US, we have in-built ovens and we don’t have to remove any rods and this is the only oven I have used so I am not sure how the rod system works. But do what you do when you bake cakes, it will be same.
May i know on which road we need to bake this ? Both the roads or only lower ?
Thank you In advance
sorry I don’t understand rods, bake in the center of the oven please
I have thandai syrup at home. Can I use that in place of thandai powder?
you may but then you may need to reduce the amount of milk in the recipe
I dont have a traditional oven all I have is a microwave oven, can you please tell me how to make these cookies in a microwave? Thank you.
Sorry I don’t have much experience with microwave baking. I have never baked in a microwave.
Can this be made with whole wheat flour ?
yes!
Hi
Can I leave the dough logs refrigerated for longer? Overnight ?
yes should be fine, might have to increase the baking time a little bit