Amaranth Shortbread Cookies are healthy treats full of pistachios and cashews. Also know as Rajgira Cookies, they are 100% gluten free and have a divine nutty taste! We’ve perfected this amaranth flour recipe over the past 3 months and it makes the best gluten free shortbread we’ve ever tasted!
What is Rajgira Flour?
Rajgira flour comes from the seeds of the amaranth plant. Actually, the tiny Amaranth seeds are botanically fruits and not seeds! Interesting! While the seed is used in many forms, the flour of the dried seeds is most popularly used. The Rajgira-grain flour is ideal for fasting. By the way, in India, its called Ramdana Flour in Hindi. The use it extensively during religious festivals for fasting. Ramdana means God’s seed and hence it’s used on festive occasions.
Originally a staple of the Aztec diet, Amaranth or Rajgira means “immortal” or “everlasting” in Greek. This amazing gluten free grain contains more than three times the average amount of calcium. It is also high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium. Additionally, it is the only grain which contains Vitamin C.
Amaranth is a less popular cousin of quinoa super-grain favored by the ancient Incas. These crops have similar nutritional profiles. Amaranth is high in protein and it has the optimal amino acid ratios set by the World Health Organization.
How to make gluten free shortbread cookies
- First thing first, you will chop your nuts.
- Then you will whisk butter and sugar together.
- Next add ginger powder, nutmeg, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice to the bowl. Mix well.
- You will now add Rajgira flour (Amaranth flour).
- Once the flour is mixed in, you will add chopped nuts and knead soft cookie dough. Divide the dough in two parts and make cylinder shape roll using Saran Wrap. You can see what it looks like in the pictures further down in the post.
- You will refrigerate this dough for at least 3 hours.
- Once the dough is cold, preheat the oven 350 degree F.
- Take out the cookie dough rolls from fridge and cut the half inch round cookies from each roll. You will arrange the cookies on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Now pop these amaranth flour cookies in the oven for about 12 mins. Once they are golden brown in color, take them out them out of the oven. Let them cool down for 10 minutes.
How to make gluten free amaranth cookies in pictures
Chop the nuts or use a food processor to do so.
Next make the shortbread dough.
Make the rolls using Saran Wrap.
Cut up the dough rolls and place the cookies on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Dairy free option for gluten free shortbread
You can also make Rajgira cookies dairy free by using ⅓ cup of olive oil, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar and ⅔ cup of Amaranth flour.
Enjoy cooking with rajgira? How about these delicious Amaranth Spice Cookies. And if you like baking with other alternative flours, you also might enjoy best gluten free chocolate chip cookies and quinoa flour cookies.
Amaranth Shortbread Rajgira Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (or ⅓ cup olive oil)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsps ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh optional)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 cup Amaranth flour
- ½ cup pistachios and cashews (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk butter and sugar together. Next add ginger powder, nutmeg, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and mix well.
- Add amaranth flour to the bowl with butter and sugar. Next add chopped nuts and knead soft cookie dough.
- Divide the dough in two parts and make cylinder shape roll. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Once the dough is cold, preheat the oven 350 degree F.
Take out the cookie dough rolls from fridge and cut the half inch round cookies from each roll. You will arrange the cookies on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. - Bake at 350 F for 12 to 14 minutes until brown around the bottom edge. Cool for 10 minutes.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Hi. Should I melt the butter to have 1/2 cup? Thanks
I used 1/2 cup from a solid butter – 1 stick of American butter, or 8 tablespoons.
thank you
Hello, The recipe sounds amazing. Can I use ghee instead of butter or olive oil in the recipe?
Thanks,
Neha.
Hi again, thank you so much for this recipe. Can you advise me on how to adjust it to have no sugar? I can’t eat sugar; could use a bit of honey if necessary, but would prefer to not. And in terms of taste i just want a grain taste to perform the function of bread or chapatti foods. (I don’t understand what function the sugar has in the whole baking system so don’t know how to adjust the recipe. Well in fact i don’t understand baking period. ) THANKS!!
I have a question. Is it 1/2 cup of pistachios and 1/2 cup of cashews? or is it 1/2 cup in total of a combination of both. that might seem like a dumb question, but I don’t want to get it wrong. thanks.
Good question. It’s a total of 1/2 cup of nuts (so do not use more than 1/2 cup for this recipe).