Ragi Nankhatai | Ragi Biscuits | Finger Millet Cookies

Ragi Nankhatai, also known as Ragi Biscuits or Finger Millet Cookies, is a light, crunchy, and crumbly Indian bakery-style treats with the delightful aroma of cardamom. In short, melt-in-mouth cookies that anyone will love. 

Nankhatai is the perfect accompaniment for your tea party and one of the best-personalized gifts you can give your family and friends during the holiday season. 

Jump to:

• About Ragi Biscuits
• Ingredients for Ragi Nankhatai
• How to make Ragi Nankhatai (Ragi Biscuits)
• Pro Tips
• Recipe card
• User Reviews

About Ragi Biscuits

Traditionally nankhatai is prepared using maida (all-purpose flour). These are also referred to as shortbread biscuits or pecan sandies, of course, with some minor variations. It is called narayan katar in konkani. This is available as a tea time snack in most bakery shops in India. 

After trying out spicy butter biscuits, dry fruit cookies, and nankhatai, many readers requested me post a cookie recipe using wheat flour (atta). I decided to make a new version of nankhatai using whole wheat flour (wheat nankhatai). The flavor of these cookies was really much better than traditional nankhatai. It was crumblier and healthy too. My readers were kind enough to give me positive feedback. With all these, I was inspired to experiment further with the traditional recipe at home.

This time the experiment was mainly for my little one, who stares at us for every bite we eat. The first thing that came to mind was how about making some cookies or biscuits at home. I wanted it to be healthy as well as tasty. 

Ragi flour is a good source of protein, calcium, iron, and fiber. Like oats, this is one of the most nutritious foods, low in fat, and easy to digest. In India, we also give ragi porridge to kids.

I have kept the traditional recipe as is but just substituted half of the all-purpose flour with ragi flour. It was perfect. The way any nankhatai should be - crumbly and crunchy. Your house is going to smell like a bakery. Make sure your reserve some for yourself even before you serve because this will disappear in no time :-). My little one had a very big smile on his face after he had his first bite. What more do I have to say on this 🙂 Plus, it reminded me of the ragi biscuit that is popular in our hometown, Mangaluru.

Also, I have updated this post mainly to tell you all that I have tried this recipe with ghee, and it tastes even more delicious with the same amount as that of dalda. 

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Ingredients for Ragi Nankhatai

• ¾ cup Ragi Flour / Finger Millet flour 
• ¾ cup All-purpose flour / Maida
• ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon Desi ghee or Vegetable shortening (Vanaspati dalda)
• ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
• ¾ cup Sugar, powdered (please use regular powdered sugar, not the confectioner's sugar)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
• Salt, pinch
• Almond for topping

How to make Ragi Nankhatai (Ragi Biscuits)

• In a bowl, combine ragi flour, all-purpose flour, ghee or shortening, baking soda, sugar, cardamom powder, and salt to form a dough. Do not knead.
• Note that I have not added any water while forming the dough. Vegetable shortening binds everything together.
• Cover it and keep it aside for atleast 30 minutes.

How to bake Ragi nankhatai or biscuits 

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F / 148 degrees C.
• Form golf size balls from the dough and press to flatten it slightly. Place an almond at the center of each nankhatai.
• Keep it in a baking tray lined with parchment paper or on a silicone mat.
• Bake these cookies for about 20 to 25 minutes or until cracks form at the top or bottom and turn golden brown. (Check the tip section)
• Allow it to cool down for about 10 – 15 minutes. Cookies will crisp up upon cooling.
• Ragi Nankhatai is now ready. Serve with a cup of coffee/tea, and enjoy.

Pro Tips

• The baking time of the cookie may vary depending on the size of the cookie and the oven. Remove when you see golden brown color at the bottom. If it's not baked enough, then bake them for a few more minutes.
• Do not remove the cookies from the baking pan till it cools down completely. Else these cookies are going to break apart.
• You can also bake this in the microwave in convection mode.
• See that your dough is not dry. You should be able to form balls with no effort. Add a teaspoon of milk (or more) to increase the moisture.

Recipe card

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