CASHEW SUJI COOKIES

     Every evening after school, I used to come back home by School Bus.  The routine happened until I finished my Secondary School.  Those days hold a major story which changed my life.  I am not going to talk about that today, but about a routine I & my brother followed which has loads of trailing nostalgic memories.  My mom meticulously walks all the way to the Bus stop(which was just a street away from our house) to pick us up. The highlight of this story is the Bakery(Krishna Bakery) in the Bus Stop. Most of the days she would cook some Snacks for us, but even then my Brother would ask whether he can buy something from the Bakery.  The time would be so apt that the Bakery would be stacking up with fresh & hot bakes(right from the oven) which would equally appeal my mother.
     Each day we would buy something like Puffs, Cakes, Coconut Bun, freshly baked hot Milk Bread etc.,  I have always loved their variety of Cookies(Butter Biscuit, Coconut Biscuit, Salt Biscuit etc., & etc., ).  When I started baking I had always wanted to replicate those cookies rather than anything else.  Mainly my favourite were those cube-shaped Butter Biscuits - white, soft with a melt-in-mouth texture.
     But when I tasted a similar Cookie from a local Bakery in JB, I instantly fell in love with it.  Suji Cookies with variations like Cashew Suji Cookies, Almond Suji Cookies and plain Suji Cookies.  Then my next step began by searching for the recipe.  To my dismay, I never found any Suji in the ingredient list/(Suji in Hindi means Semolina), which made me search and research to find a perfect recipe.  This recipe is adapted from a Singapore based Travel & Food Blog Miss Tham Chiak.  This Suji Cookies just nailed me down with its perfection.  If the Cookie is prepared without any addition of Nuts, then it tasted quite similar to my favourite bakery-style Butter Biscuits.
     Cashew Suji Cookie is an easy make cookie recipe with simple ingredients. These Cashew Suji Cookies are an utter treat with a light, crumbly & melt-in-mouth texture.  And above all, it has a wonderful nutty aroma, which comes from the roasted Cashew nuts & mainly from GHEE. Ghee makes a lot of difference in these cookies.  These are absolute festive favourites and also best suits to be served as a Tea Time Snack.

For more COOKIE RECIPES, Click here...


Recipe Type - Cookies, Snacks
Difficulty - Easy
Yields - 12 - 15 Cookies
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 10 -15 Minutes
Baking Time - 12- 15 Minutes for 1 Batch

HOW TO COOK CASHEW SUJI COOKIES

CASHEW SUJI COOKIES

For Cashew Suji Cookies:

All-purpose Flour - 90 Grams
Raw Cashew Nuts - 130 Grams
Icing Sugar - 80 Grams
Salt - 1/4 Tspn
Unsalted Butter - 30 Grams
Ghee - 45 Grams

For a detailed Recipe on HOW TO MAKE GHEE, Click here...

For Glazing:

Egg Yolk – of an Egg
Water – Few Teaspoons

For Toppings:

Cashew Nuts - 50 Grams(halved & toasted)

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven at 180° Celsius for about 10 minutes.
• Let the Butter be at room temperature.
• Split 50g of the Cashew Nuts into halves.
• Then, toast all the Cashew Nuts in a preheated oven at 180° Celsius for about 12- 15 minutes.
• Toast the Cashews evenly, until they turn into golden brown in colour and gives out a nutty aroma.
• Keep it aside to cool down.
• Reserve the 50g of halved Cashew Nuts in a separate bowl.
• Grind the rest of the roasted Cashew Nuts into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Combine All-purpose Flour, Icing Sugar, Salt and sift it once.
• Add ground Cashew Nuts to be sifted flour mixture and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, stir in the softened Butter and Ghee.
• Soften it with a wooden/rubber spatula until smooth and well combined.
• Add the Flour Mixture to the Butter mix.
• Gently mix it to form a soft dough.
• If you feel the Cookie dough to be crumbly/dry, add about 1 teaspoon of ghee to it & mix it well.
• Line up a baking tray with baking sheet/parchment paper.
• Scoop 1 Tsp of Suji Cookie Dough and shape it into a ball. 
• Slightly flatten the Cookies and arrange them 2cm apart on the tray.
• Cookies will spread a little during baking.
• Meanwhile, beat the Egg Yolk with a few teaspoons of water.
• Brush the top of the Cookies with egg glaze.
• Place a toasted Cashew half on top of every cookie and brush with egg glaze once again.
• Bake at 180° Celsius for 15 minutes.
• Allow Cashew Suji Cookies to cool completely.
• Store it in an airtight container.

NOTES:

• Can prepare the same cookies by substituting Cashew nuts with Almonds.
• Split the Cashew nuts into halves before toasting them. Once toasted, it is difficult to split the Cashew Nuts.
• Toast the Cashew Nuts until they emit a wonderful nutty aroma and until it changes into golden brown in colour.
• Care should be taken not to burn the Cashew Nuts or leave it under-cooked.
• Ghee adds a wonderful flavour and gives a beautiful texture to the Cashew Suji Cookies.
• The Cookie dough should be soft and not crumbly.
• Can shape the Suji Cookies into Balls or into Cube-shaped or flatten it up.
• Baking time totally depends on the type of Oven used.  Adjust accordingly.