Whole Wheat Cookies

 

5 August

When I zeroed in on the home to buy, the major differentiator was the panoramic view from the balcony in this apartment. I remember we didn't have any proper plan to get a house back then. It was just on an exploratory mode we had went out one day to take a look at a much advertised housing complex near to my then home. It was rainy season and we didn't want to wander far to check out properties. 

The place which we had gone to see seemed like a bummer because of the room sizes. The room sizes were miniscule and they had balconies in the size of a small TT court. The view was still nice as it had a hill view. But we knew the rooms wont do. Plus the amenities they offered were too much, some of which I would never have even time to experience - my mom had observed looking at my busy schedule then. I agreed whole heartedly to that point. What would I do with a gazebo or a 20 feet swimming pool or a 50 seater theater when I barely managed to enjoy my balcony. So after viewing and rejecting that property we were about to head home when I remembered I had seen the mention of another property by a sister concern company of the same builder. A few calls here and there and we got the address of the site. 

The very first sight of the new building had tipped the scales - there were huge mango trees welcoming us to the entrance. In a city full of concrete jungle it was a sight for the sore eyes! When we looked out of the balcony into the vast spread of Mango Orchard behind the property, it was already a done deal. My heart and soul was already part of this apartment and it was just a matter of legalities. I didn't even care the climb of 10 floors without lift multiple times just to take a look at the abode which I wanted to claim as mine. So that was how this part of the world became mine. But a year into staying here I had kind of forgotten the reason I liked this place so much in the first place - the view of the hills form the balcony and how beautiful it got during the rains. But during the lockdown when the views transformed as the monsoon ushered in I was spell bound. Billow masses of rain clouds would cover the hills before me, strings of rainbows would remind me of all the fairytales I had heard as a kid, the rustle of wind in the Mango orchard below and the croaking of frogs as it rained - I had forgotten what it felt like to be one with nature for the longest time. I know this view and hills wont last for long but till the time its there it feels like a piece of paradise to me. My own undisturbed corner of the world where I feel creativity even just staring out of the window. 

During one of these rain laden evening I was sipping on a warm chamomile tea and enjoying the rains. There was a fresh batch of wheat cookies right out of the oven which made the evening even more pleasant. I want to share the same recipe with you today. This is adapted from Manali's recipe of Atta cookies. They are so simple to make that I feel I need to make them more often now. Check out the recipe below and let me know if you try it out.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Resting Time : 15 minutes

Baking Time: 15-18 minutes

Serves : 24 cookies approx.

Ingredients :

• Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)- 1.5 cup
• Jaggery Powder - 1/2 cup
• Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4th tsp
• Milk - 3 tbsp + more if needed
• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Salt - a pinch

Equipment:

• Whisk
• Mixing Bowls
• Strainer
• Fork
• Oven
• Baking Tray
• Cookie cutter (Optional)

Procedure: 

1.  Pre-heat oven to 200 degree Celsius. 

2. In a large mixing bowl mix together whole wheat flour (atta), baking powder, cinnamon powder and salt. Using a whisk combine everything together.

Tip: Sift the flour through strainer to avoid any lumps.

3. Take another mixing bowl. Sift the powdered jaggery to avoid big lumps. 

4. Now add ghee (clarified butter) to the jaggery and mix well. It will become aerated and fluffy after you whisk it for a while.  

5. Now add the milk and combine it nicely with the jaggery and ghee mixture. 

6. Now add this wet mix into the dry flour mix. Using hands or a stand mixture, combine everything together to form a dough. If the dough is too crumbly then add a little milk as needed.

7. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

8. Now roll out the dough with a roller and using a cookie cutter cut 2 inch diameter and about 1/4th of an inch thick circles. 

9. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Transfer the cookies to the sheet keeping a little distance between each. 

10. Now with a fork pierce the top to give it a basic design

11. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until you start getting that nice brown color on the cookies. Bake it some more if you like it more crisp but make sure you don't burn them.

12. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before transferring them into a storage box. 

Enjoy them with tea or just like that. Remember they might feel a little filling to some folks.