“Persian Chickpea
Cookies with Pistachios (Nan-e Nokhodchi) is a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth
cookie, made with the fragrant flavours of rose water and cardamom.”
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil or ghee
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon finely ground cardamom
1/2 tablespoon rose water
1 and 3/4 cups fine chickpea flour
2-3 tablespoons chopped, powdered or
ground pistachios (I used peanuts as that’s what I had in the pantry)
Directions
Combine the oil, sugar, cardamom and
rose water in bowl. Beat for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
Sift chickpea flour and add to the sugar
mixture bowl. Beat for a minute more until the dough is no longer sticky.
Dust your work surface with some
chickpea flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is more workable.
The dough is very crumbly.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set
aside for 2 hours. It is important to rest the dough for 2 hours. Do not
refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 175 C and line baking
tray with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough on a dusted work
surface until it is 3/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 1-inch
clover-shaped cookie cutter. Persian chickpea cookies are commonly made with a
four-leaf cookie cutter. However, you
can use any desired shape. Place the cookies on the baking tray, spaced 1 inch
apart. Re-roll and repeat until all the dough is used up.
Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of each
cookie.
Place cooking tray in middle rack and
bake for 15 to 20 minutes but check after 10 mins as the cookies brown very
quickly.
Once the cookies turn a light golden
colour, remove from oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Then carefully
transfer to a serving plate to cool completely. Be careful when you transfer
the cookies as they crumble very easily.
You can store the cookies in an
airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.