Dry Fruit Cookies are easy-to-make eggless butter cookies that are rich in flavor and crispy in texture with the correct amount of sweetness. Dried fruits and nuts give these cookies a perfect crunch and nutty flavor. These Indian-style butter cookies are one of the best desserts you can make for festivals or special occasions, or holiday gatherings.
Check out popular, best, and traditional Indian sweets and desserts.
About the recipe
These eggless butter cookies or dry fruit cookies are one of the best Indian desserts that you can prepare during festivals like Christmas, Diwali, or Raksha Bandhan to give as a gift box or to serve with hot chocolate or a cup of coffee or tea.
You will need flour, butter, and sugar with dried fruits and nuts of your choice to make these cookies. These cookies are crispy with a unique flavor. These can also be used as a snack for your kid's lunchbox.
Check out the popular Indian bakery sweet called Nankhati, tea biscuits, or osmania biscuits.
Ingredients
Butter: This makes your cookies rich, adds necessary moisture, and enhances the flavor. For the vegan version, use vegetable shortening; for an authentic Indian taste, use homemade desi ghee.
All-purpose flour: Plain flour or maida works best for this recipe.
Baking soda: This will make the cookie rise and turn light and fluffy.
Sugar: Fine granulated sugar is what I have used in this recipe. If using coarse ones, powder them before you add them to the cookie dough.
Cardamom powder: Adds delicious flavor to your butter cookies.
Dried fruits and nuts: Finely chopped nuts help in even distribution throughout the cookies. Add almonds, pistachios, and raisins. You can even use cashews or cranberries to make these cookies.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
Eggless butter cookie dough
- Add flour, baking soda, sugar, cardamom powder, salt, and mix in a bowl. Next, add the butter and mix until everything is well combined, and dough is formed. Now add the almonds, pistachios, and raisins and fold them into the dough until incorporated.
- Note that I have not added any water to the dough. Butter binds everything together. If the dough is on the drier side, you may add tablespoon of milk.
- Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Bake the butter cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your baking tray or line your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Form lemon size balls and flatten them slightly.
- Keep these cookies inches apart as they may spread during the baking process.
- Bake it for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Baking time may vary depending on the size of the cookie balls and the oven you use. So keep checking at the 12-minute mark.
- Allow it to cool down for 10 minutes on the sheet, and let them cool later in the wire rack completely.
- Serve these dry fruit cookies with a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy.
Tips
- If desired, you can add cashew nuts, cranberries, or any dried fruits and nuts combination. Feel free to add cinnamon, nutmeg, or saffron (kesar) for extra flavor.
- In India, you will have to powder the sugar if you are using coarse granulated sugar.
- Love Indian-style bakery ghee biscuits? You can use homemade desi ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter to make this ghee cookie.
- You can store these dry fruit butter cookies in an airtight conatiner at room temperature for one week.
Recipe FAQS
You can reduce the amount of sugar if you like cookies to be lightly sweetened. But remember, sugar not only adds sweetness to the cookies but also affects the final texture and browning of the butter cookies. So reduce it slightly and make a small batch if you want mildly sweet cookies.
Whole wheat flour or atta can be used as a substitute for maida to make these dry fruit cookies. But note the cookies will be denser and have a nutty flavor from the wheat flour. You can use half wheat flour (atta) and half all-purpose flour (maida) for a balanced texture and flavor. You can check my recipe on wheat nankhatai cookies.
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Recipe card
Dry Fruit Cookies | Eggless Butter Cookies
Equipment
- Bowl
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Butter, softened Use vegetable shortening for vegan version
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour or Maida
- ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¾ cup Fine granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- Salt, a pinch
- 4 tablespoon Almonds, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon Pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Raisins, finely chopped
Instructions
Eggless butter cookie dough
- Add flour, baking soda, sugar, cardamom powder, salt, and mix in a bowl. Next, add the butter and mix until everything is well combined, and dough is formed. Now add the almonds, pistachios, and raisins and fold them into the dough until incorporated.1 ½ cups All-purpose flour or Maida, ¾ teaspoon Baking soda, ¾ cup Fine granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder, Salt, a pinch, 4 tablespoon Almonds, finely chopped, 4 tablespoon Pistachios, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon Raisins, finely chopped
- Note that I have not added any water to the dough. Butter binds everything together. If the dough is on the drier side, you may add tablespoon of milk.⅔ cup Butter, softened
- Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Bake the butter cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your baking tray or line your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Form lemon size balls and flatten them slightly.
- Keep these cookies inches apart on the baking sheet as they may spread during the baking process.
- Bake it for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Baking time may vary depending on the size of the cookie balls and the oven you use. So keep checking at the 12-minute mark.
- Allow it to cool down for 10 minutes on the sheet, and let them cool later in the wire rack completely.
- Serve these dry fruit cookies with a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy.
Notes
- If desired, you can add cashew nuts, cranberries, or any dried fruits and nuts combination. Feel free to add cinnamon, nutmeg, or saffron (kesar) for extra flavor.
- In India, you will have to powder the sugar if you are using coarse granulated sugar.
- Love Indian-style bakery ghee biscuits? You can use homemade desi ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter to make this ghee cookie.
- You can store these dry fruit butter cookies in an airtight conatiner at room temperature for one week.
Nutrition
This post for Dry Fruit Cookies was first published in Sep 2016. Updated with recipe maker, calorie information and detailed steps.
Chhaya
Hi Khushi....made these cookies today. Mine swelled up a little ( were not flat like the pic ) n were airy from inside. Taste was good though. Could u tell what went wrong? I halved ur recipe n instead of sliced dryfruits added dryfruits powder. Thanks.
Kushi
The fat content in butter and the fact that dry fruit absorbs some moisture could have played a role. Sounds like it came out like nankatai https://www.cookwithkushi.com/nankhatai/. Do let me know if you have any further questions.
Chhaya
Thanks for d reply. Yeah, it looked just like ur nan khatai biscuits. So do u think i should add more butter if using dryfruits powder? Or could it be that d baking powder proportion was more?
Kushi
It is really hard to know. could be multiple reasons. Try increasing the amount of butter. The dough should not be dry. Dry fruit powder tends to absorb moisture over time which could also be one of the factors.
Chhaya
Thanks for d reply. Yes, they looked exactly like ur nan khatais. Do u think i should add more butter if using dry fruits powder next time? Or is it due to more baking powder than required?
Chris
It will be great for this christmas. So I have to try it for this christmas and also recommend it in my blog...thanks!
Kushi
Thank you, do let me know how it turned out!
Ann
I have made these cookies many times since finding your recipe. I have also made the vegan version for my grandson and it was also very good. I always double the recipe because they disappear very fast.
Kushi
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, I am glad you all liked it.
AnnM
I used cranberries instead of raisins because it’s what I had on hand. I won’t change anything else, because they’re absolutely wonderful. I have never used cardamom before but these cookies sent me on a search far other recipes with it.
Kushi
Thank you so much 🙂
Vibha desai
I made u style cookies n they were awsome nice n crunchy felt like will never buy cookies from outside Thanks for lovely recipe