Rajgira Indian Cookies are healthy treats packed with pistachios and cashews. Made with Amaranth flour, these traditional Indian treats 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!
Rajgira are traditional Indian shortbread cookies made with Amaranth flour, and are naturally gluten free. There are so many variations of Amaranth flour cookies that can be made with different combinations of spices and proportions.
In the earlier days Rajgira cookies were baked on stove tops, since most Indian homes did not have an oven. I made them with Indian-spiced and sweet flavor of lemon zest, ginger and nutmeg!
What is Rajgira Flour?
Rajgira flour (Ramdana in Hindu) comes from the seeds of the amaranth plant and is used extensively during religious festivals for fasting. Actually, the tiny Amaranth seeds are botanically fruits and not seeds! While the seed itself is used in many forms, the flour of the dried seeds is most popularly used.
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 Flour basics
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 traditional Rajgira Indian cookies
- First thing first, you will chop your nuts. Chop the nuts with a knife or use a food processor.
- Then you will whisk butter and sugar together.
- Next let's mix ginger powder, nutmeg, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice in 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 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 and let them cool down for 10 minutes.
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.
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.
Deborah Smith says
Hi,
I would like to make this recipe but don't have cashews. I do have pistachios, walnuts, pecans and pine nuts along with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. What do you think?
Much thanks,
Deborah
Olya says
Pistachios would be perfect and I can imagine that so would be pine nuts, but they are so expensive!
Ioana says
Hi. Should I melt the butter to have 1/2 cup? Thanks
Olya says
I used 1/2 cup from a solid butter - 1 stick of American butter, or 8 tablespoons.
c says
thank you
Neha says
Hello, The recipe sounds amazing. Can I use ghee instead of butter or olive oil in the recipe?
Thanks,
Neha.
Iayana Rael says
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!!
Theresa Pickford says
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.
Olga says
Good question. It's a total of 1/2 cup of nuts (so do not use more than 1/2 cup for this recipe).