Masala Biscuits | Kerala Bakery Style Masala Biscuits | Eggless Garam Masala Cookies(Step by Step Pics)

Masala biscuit is a famous cookie(biscuit) from bakeries in Kerala.I loved munching them so much back in Kerala but staying away from home reminds us of the tempting foods.Few weeks back,one of my friend reminded me of the cookie and we were just talking about them.She wished to have the recipe and enquired me if the khara biscuits(I posted sometime back) tasted the same too.However,the khara biscuits tasted different from the kerala style bakery biscuits.As a blogger,I started trying out these cookies with my own experiments and to my surprise,my first experiment was soft cookies like nankhatai because I used more of butter and I had used 1tsp salt which was slightly more.Correcting all first errors,the second trial is here which was 100% taste wise satisfactory but the color wasn't the same,probably the bakeries add color and the texture wasn't all crunchy instead was slightly softer(may be an increase in temp of 5 mins may yield it crunchier and use all purpose flour).I was very happy with both experiments as it was a total trial and error;the results were very good.Do give this a try and enjoy !!

Recipe source :own
Preparation time~20 mins
Baking time~ 14-18 mins
Serves~ 20 biscuits
Ingredients
wheat flour 1 1/4 cup
baking soda 1/4 tsp
baking powder 1/2 tsp
powdered sugar 4 tsp
unsalted butter(at room temp.) 4tbsp
oil 1tbsp
*garam masala 3/4 tsp
pepper powder 1/4 tsp
nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
dry ginger powder 1/4 tsp
black sesame seeds 1 tsp
milk 2-3tbsp
salt 3/4 tsp

to grind
mint leaves 8-10
ginger 2" piece
green chilly 1 or 2

Method 

• In a wide bowl,sift the wheat flour,baking powder,baking soda,salt,sugar,dry ginger powder,*garam masala,cinnamon powder,nutmeg powder twice.Mix well with a whisk.
• Add in the sesame seeds.In the meantime,grind the mint leaves,ginger and green chillies with very little water(about 2tbsp).Add this ground mix along with softened butter,oil  and start kneading.Add milk as required to bring the dough together.Knead like for chapathis and then roll in a cylindrical shape(15 cm in length & 2" round).Cover it tightly with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour-2 hours.

• After refrigeration,pre heat oven to 350 degrees F and line two trays with parchment paper.
• Cut the log in between 1/8"-1/4" thick and place each slice on the tray separating with a 1"space.Makes about 20 cookies.
• Place and bake in pre heated oven for 14-18 mins or until the base look slightly browned.Flip all cookies and bake for another 5 mins(If you wish to have crunchy cookies)
• Cool on wire rack and serve with tea or store in air tight containers,stays fresh for 2 weeks.

NOTES
* Whole garam masalas-cinnamon 2",cloves 2,cardamom 2,star anise 3 petals(not flower),warm this up in a pan and fine powder in a blender to get the garam masala powder.
* Use tender ginger so that fibers are less.
* Add in a sprig of curry leaves too if you love the flavors.
* Use all purpose flour or maida to get the crunchier texture too.

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