Buttery Jeera Biscuits

‘Jeera Biscuits’ are simply cookies with an Indian twist. Jeera has a distinct, sharp flavour that can lift any food a few notches and make it aromatic. Jeera boosts the immunity system, controls diabetes and also has amazing digestive properties. These biscuits are superior to the shop-bought ones because they are made with wholesome Verka Butter. The market usually has a product which uses cheap margarine or vanaspati fat. Make a batch and then taste the difference !

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cup flour (you can even mix equal portions of ‘maida’ and ‘atta’)
• ½ cup Verka Butter
• 1½ tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 5 tbsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp soda bicarb
• 2-3 tbsp cold milk

Method:

• Grind the sugar to a fine powder.
• Beat the butter and sugar together till fluffy.
• Sieve together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda.
• Roast the jeera till its lightly browned and fragrant.
• Keep aside ¼ tsp jeera and add the rest to the flour mixture.
• Combine the buttery mixture with the dry ingredients, then add milk in small quantities to make a firm dough.
• Heat the oven to 150 degrees C.
• Roll out the dough into a thick, large disc. Use a cookie cutter to cut it into pretty shapes.
• Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper. Arrange the discs on it, maintaining a little space in between. Sprinkle each disc with a few jeera seeds and press till they adhere to the dough.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes. (time can vary from one oven to the other)
• Remove the tray from the oven when the biscuits are tinged with a golden brown colour.
• Cool and store in an airtight container.

Note: You may reduce the quantity of sugar in the recipe. ‘Ajwain’ can replace ‘jeera’ when you want to try a different flavour. Do not knead the dough too much. It will make the biscuits hard.