Wheat Biscuits (Atta Biscuits)

Wheat biscuits or atta biscuits in a bowl.

4.70 from 50 votes

Wheat Biscuits, also called Atta Biscuits or Atta Cookies, are crisp and buttery eggless cookies made with whole wheat flour, gram flour, butter and Indian flavorings like cardamom, saffron and nutmeg. These bakery style wheat cookies make for a lovely tea-time snack and are perfect for festive baking too.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings: Biscuits

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

1 cup (125 grams) whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
¼ teaspoon baking soda or ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt – do not add if using salted butter or ghee
⅓ cup (70 grams) cold butter – salted or unsalted, swap with 70 grams or ⅓ cup semi-solid ghee
⅓ cup (70 grams) sugar – can use 70 grams or ½ cup powdered sugar instead
4 to 5 green cardamoms - crushed lightly to remove the husks and the seeds kept
1 pinch saffron strands
⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or add as needed
1 to 2 teaspoon butter or ghee for greasing the baking tray

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making Dough

In a grinder, add the sugar, cardamom seeds, saffron strands and grated nutmeg.
Grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
If you already have powdered sugar, use ½ cup powdered sugar along with the cardamom powder, grated nutmeg and crushed saffron strands.
Grease a baking tray or pan very well with butter or ghee. Also preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
In a sieve, take the whole wheat flour (atta), gram flour (besan) and baking soda.
If you do not have baking soda, use baking powder instead.
Sift the dry ingredients very well into a mixing bowl.
Add the cold or chilled butter to the sifted flour mixture. You can also use semi-solid ghee.
Using your fingertips, break the butter and mix it with the flour. You can also cut the butter into the flour with two knives.
This can also be done in a food processor or stand mixer. If the butter softens slightly while mixing with your hands, that is fine.
Mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the powdered sugar and lightly mix with your hands.
Add the milk gradually. The amount needed depends on the quality and texture of the flour.
The mixture should come together and hold itself. If needed, add a little more milk, mixing as you go.
Gently bring the mixture together to form a dough ball. Do not knead the dough. Just gently mix and gather it together.

Making Wheat Biscuits

Now pinch small to medium-sized portions from the dough and lightly roll them between your palms. Place them on the greased baking tray.
Gently flatten them slightly. You can also make patterns with a fork or toothpick. I used a cookie press to lightly flatten the biscuits and create a design on top.
Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden to golden.
Since oven temperatures vary, the baking time may be less or more. So keep a close watch while baking.
Once baked, let the wheat biscuits rest on the tray for 2 to 3 minutes. Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
When cooled at room temperature, store in an airtight jar. Serve Whole Wheat Nankhatai as a tea time cookie.

Serving & Storage

Serve these Wheat Biscuits (Atta Biscuits) with masala chai, ginger tea, coffee or a glass of milk.
They make a nice tea-time snack and can also be served during festivals, family gatherings or as part of a homemade cookie platter.
Allow the biscuits to cool completely before storing.
Store them in an airtight jar or container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
If you live in a warm or humid climate, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Remember not to knead the dough.
If using ghee instead of butter, ensure the ghee is in a semi-solid state.
You can also use fine jaggery powder instead of sugar in this recipe. If the jaggery powder has small granules, run it through a mixer-grinder to get a fine powder.
The recipe can be scaled easily to make a smaller portion or a larger portions.

Nutrition