Atta Biscuits (Wheat Cookies)
Nov 04, 2022, Updated May 07, 2023
These Atta Biscuits are crispy and eggless whole wheat cookies which are flavored with ghee and cardamom and best enjoyed with a cup of chai!
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Easy, eggless and crispy Atta Biscuits are popular tea time cookies in India. Made with ghee, whole wheat flour and flavored with cardamom, these cookies taste best when dipped in chai!
Chai time is probably the best time of the day for everyone in India. All our talks, meetings, discussions everything always revolves around chai. Everyone in India drinks at least 2 cups of chai everyday, one in the morning and the other in evening. And of course if anyone comes to your place, you have to serve them chai. It doesn’t matter if it’s 12 in noon or 11 at night, chai is a must.
Our chai gatherings also involve a lot of food. A typical evening in a north Indian household would be chai with samosa or pakoda (fritters) and of course some biscuits (cookies). I cannot have my chai without my rusk or biscuit either. It’s a habit that I grew up with. Here’s the thing, a lot of people dip the biscuit in the chai and it somehow tastes extra delicious that way. By the way, I am talking about crispy cookies here, we call them biscuits in India.
My favorite chai time biscuits are often the ones which are super simple like these jeera biscuits, almond cookies or these atta biscuits or atta cookies. Atta = durum wheat flour, one which we use everyday to make our breads like roti and paratha. These cookies are one of my favorites and the best part about them is they are so easy to make. You need very few ingredients to make these.
Atta biscuits have always been a favorite of mine. I remember I would always request mom to buy a packet of these cookies only for me. I would love them with my chai. Here we don’t get as fresh atta biscuits as we would get in India and so now I make them at home.
These Atta Biscuits
- are made with whole wheat.
- use basic pantry staples.
- crispy and so good to dunk in chai.
- they are eggless, nut-free.
- make the perfect edible gifts.
Ingredients
Atta (whole wheat flour): you can find atta at any Indian grocery store, this durum wheat flour is used to make everyday roti (and many other things!) in most Indian homes. For this recipe, I have Sujata brand of atta.
Ghee (clarified butter): I love using ghee in my atta biscuits, it makes it so aromatic. If you don’t have ghee, you can use butter. Make sure it’s at room temperature. Do not use melted ghee for this recipe (or melted butter if you are using butter).
Cardamom: to flavor these cookies, I have used a little cardamom but it is optional. You can skip the cardamom. Sometimes I also add some nutmeg to these, they are nice.
Sugar: for this recipe, take your regular white granulated sugar and pulse it in a blender until powdered. Don’t confuse with powdered sugar/confectioners sugar/icing sugar here. For this recipe, we use regular white sugar which has been powdered in a blender.
Step by Step Instructions
1- Pulse 1/2 cup (100 grams) of granulated white sugar in a blender until its powdered. You can use caster sugar which is a finer variety of white sugar as well. Then transfer it to the steel bowl of your stand mixer along with 1/2 cup ghee (95 grams). The ghee should not be melted, it should be in a semi-solid state.
2- Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or using any hand mixer or wire whisk) beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until you have a smooth mixture. It will be creamy and the color will also become lighter.
3- Now add atta (whole wheat flour) to it. This is 1 & 1/2 cups (195 grams) of atta. Add 1/2 of if first.
4- Also add 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.
5- Using the paddle attachment mix until everything is well combined.
6- Now add milk, you would need around 4 to 5 tablespoons of milk here. The dough needs to be soft, so start with 3 tablespoons milk and then add as needed. The amount may vary depending on the quality of flour. I added 5 tablespoons of milk in total.
7- Add the remaining atta and then mix until it all comes together as a dough.
8- The final dough should be soft to that it easily comes out through the biscuit/chakli press. If the dough is tight, you will have a hard time getting it out through the press, so add enough milk. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
9- To give these atta biscuits that characteristic shape like we get in India, we need to use a Chakli/Murukku press. You can find this kitchen press online or at Indian grocery stores. It comes with several plates, for these biscuits, we will use the plate with the long ridge.
10- Divide the dough into 3 parts, place the plate with a ridge at the bottom and then add one portion of the dough into the maker.
11- Close and seal the chakli maker.
12- Now take a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the dough through the plate and make biscuits. If the pressed dough comes out too long, simply cut with a knife to make them similar size. Make all the biscuits similarly, it will take multiple rounds to use all the dough. Bake at 325 F degrees for around 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Let them cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container.
Biscuits without using a press
If you want to make these biscuits and don’t have this chakli/murukku press, simply roll the dough and cut it into shapes using a cookie cutter. Please note that if you roll these to around 1/4 inch thickness it will take more time for them to crisp, around 25 minutes maybe.
When we make biscuits using the press, they are super thin and they are perfectly crispy at the 18 to 20 minutes mark. So, roll them thin, around 1/6 to 1/8 inch thick so that they are done at the 20 minutes mark.
Tips & Notes
- If you don’t use the press and use a cookie cutter to make these cookies, remember to roll them thin. If you roll them to around 1/4 -inch thickness, it will take around 25 minutes for them to crisp up. Every oven is different though and you should keep an eye after the 20 minutes mark.
- This recipe will make a lot of biscuits, around 40 to 50 if you use the press. If you roll and cut into shapes, then it would probably make around 30 cookies.
- You can reduce the amount of sugar if you prefer the cookies to be less sweet.
- It is very important for the dough to be soft. For this recipe, you would need anywhere around 4 to 5 tablespoons of milk for a soft dough. I added 5 tablespoons. If the dough is tough, you will not be able to easily press the dough and shape the biscuits, so add enough milk to form a soft dough.
More Crispy Indian Biscuits/Cookies
- The sweet and salty Jeera Biscuits are a favorite for a reason. The cumin goes so well in these cookies.
- Mawa Cake Cookies combine all the festive flavors making them perfect for festivals like Diwali and Holi.
- If you looking for a really nice homemade biscuits, then you have to try the Oats Jaggery Cookies. These always fantastic reviews!
This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in July 2016.
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Atta Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ghee 95 grams, in semi-solid state (not melted)
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 100 grams, pulsed to a powder
- 1 & 1/2 cups atta 195 grams, also known as durum whole wheat flour
- 1/2 & 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- pinch of salt optional
- 4-5 tablespoons milk 60-75 ml
Instructions
- Start by pulsing the granulated white sugar in a blender until it is powdered. You can use caster sugar which is a finer variety of white sugar as well but don't use powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar/confectioners sugar).
- Now beat the sugar with ghee using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or using a hand mixer). The ghee should not be melted, it should be in a semi-solid state.
- Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until you have a smooth mixture. It will be creamy and the color will also become lighter.
- Then add half of the atta (whole wheat flour), baking powder, salt and cardamom powder. Using the paddle attachment mix until everything is well combined.
- Then add milk, you would need around 4 to 5 tablespoons of milk here. The dough needs to be soft, so start with 3 tablespoons milk and then add as needed. The amount may vary depending on the quality of flour. I added 5 tablespoons of milk in total.7- Also, add the remaining atta and then mix using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer it all comes together as a dough.
- The final dough should be soft to that it easily comes out through the biscuit/chakli press. If the dough is tight, you will have a hard time getting it out through the press, so add enough milk. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
- To give these atta biscuits that characteristic shape like we get in India, we need to use a Chakli/Murukku press. You can find this kitchen press online or at Indian grocery stores. It comes with several plates, for these biscuits, we will use the plate with the long ridge.
- Divide the dough into 3 parts, place the plate with a ridge at the bottom and then add one portion of the dough into the maker. Close the chakli maker.
- Now take a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the dough through the plate and make biscuits. If the pressed dough comes out too long, simply cut with a knife to make them similar size. Make all the biscuits similarly, it will take multiple rounds to use all the dough. Bake at 325 F degrees for around 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Let them cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you don’t use the press and use a cookie cutter to make these cookies, remember to roll them thin. If you roll them to around 1/4 -inch thickness, it will take around 25 minutes for them to crisp up. Every oven is different though and you should keep an eye after the 20 minutes mark.
- This will make 40 to 50 cookies if you use the chakli/murukku press. If you roll the dough and cut with cookie cutter, it will make much less.
- It is very important for the dough to be soft. For this recipe, you would need anywhere around 4 to 5 tablespoons of milk for a soft dough. I added 5 tablespoons. If the dough is tough, you will not be able to easily press the dough and shape the biscuits, so add enough milk to form a soft dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I halved the recipe in case it didn’t work out. My “chakli” made really thin cookies. So, it got done in 16 minutes. But, it tastes great and there was no atta smell. There was ghee smell. I also used swad brand atta. Thank you so much for this recipe…
Hey can I use caster or powdered sugar?
caster can be used, I have not tested the recipe with powdered sugar
Manali,
The cookies/ biscuits are amazing. They truly reminded us of chai time back home in Mumbai. We could not stop after one. They were easy to make just needed more milk as the atta was dryer than expected 👍👌
Hi, I understand cookies take 10-12 mins to get ready. Will baking them for 25 mins not burn them?
Hi Deepa, why would I post this recipe if cooking were burning? All recipes that I post here are tried and tested. I wanted a crisp texture and for that this time is perfect. You can check all other crispy cookies recipes on the blog and all of them will need this much time.
Hi Manali ,
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I tried these yesterday .Biscuits tasted good but turned out hard.
When dunked in tea they were not soft and stayed hard.
Could you suggest some tips to fix this for next batch.I am not sure what went wrong.
Thanks
could be that you over-baked them, check your oven temperature settings
Good recipe i read from you. How many minutes will it take an oven to get to 325 degrees f? Before I bake.
10-15 probably?
Hi Manali,
Thanks for the recipe.
I tried them but the biscuit base was soft and top was brown.
Why this uneven baking?
Regards,
Ashritha
check your oven temperature settings please
My first try, Tastes good but the size stayed same as I started with. Is it supposed to be this way. Also I forgot to put it in the fridge. Is that the reason it did not increase in size after baking.
it’s not supposed to increase in size
Thanks for the recipe. I followed it to the “T”. But for some reason my biscuits have turned out to be hard. Wondering what could be the reason for this?
maybe you over worked the dough or your oven temperature settings are off by few degrees and it runs hot and cookies got over-baked.
The cookies dont get baked in 45 minutes so as per the recipe . The flour is raw after baking the cookies for 45 minutes, please guide
First of all the recipe doesn’t call for baking for 45 minutes and second I don’t know of any cookie which would not bake in 45 minutes! You oven temperature setting is off. Get an oven thermometer and check it.
Can I substitute anything else for nutmeg
skip
Really they are awesome easy to make biscuits and the best part is without baking soda n baking powder…super output ?? but I have a query dear is it possible to Bake them in microwave?? If yes then what’s the time of baking?? And do the quantity of ingredients remain the same??
I have no experience in microwave baking so can’t help there
Hi
Can I use gud instead of sugar? Just to make it More healthy
Please follow this recipe: https://www.cookwithmanali.com/whole-wheat-jaggery-cookies/
Good Evening Ma’am,
I made the dough using your recipe, but I am nit being able to roll it. It’s breaking apart while rolling. How to rectify it?
Thank you.
looks like your dough is dry, sprinkle some milk/water, knead and try again
Can I use refined oil instead of ghee? At least half half ?
try this recipe instead https://www.cookwithmanali.com/almond-jaggery-cookies/
Can oatmeal flour be used instead for gluten free.
This recipe hasn’t been tested with oatmeal flour so can’t comment
This is so good, so good, so good! Absolutely delicious. Cant stop eating. Ghee makes all the difference, truly. Reminds me of something i had in my childhood, shakkarpaare like. Addictive. Thank you so much Manali. Am planning to add some coconut next time, and may be also bake a batch of spicy ones with chilliflakes hing and kasuri methi. What say?
Glad you enjoyed these Aparna..yes addition of coconut sounds great! and you can definitely try savory versions as well!
This is so good, so good, so good! Absolutely delicious. Cant stop eating. Ghee makes all the difference, truly. Reminds me of something i had in my childhood, shakkarpaare like. Addictive. Thank you so much Manali. Am planning to add somecoconit next time, and may be also bake a batch of spicy ones with chilliflakes hing and kasuri methi. What say?
Hi. Can these cookies be made in a microwave. I don’t have oven.
Sorry, I have no experience with microwave baking so can’t help you here
Can I add egg in this recipe? What other change will I have to make?
I have not tried this recipe with egg so can’t comment…
Hi Manali,
Made these cookies today. I used melted butter, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Got to use my animal cookie cutters, and these turned out amazing. Do you think it would be possible to reduce the sugar a tiny bit without affecting the texture of the biscuits?
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Hi Preeti! Glad you enjoyed these cookies! I think you can reduce the sugar, try and let me know!
Hi Manali I made these cookies but mine got very hard can u help then I can make next time not so hard one
bake them for less time Manpreet ..also knead the dough until it comes together but don’t knead for too long!
Dont we need to use baking pwd or soda??
not in this recipe
I prepared dough but in tog on which setting should we bake it as it is first time for me to bake it in oven . Earlier I was using microwave with convection and grill plz help. I am using right now black and decker otg.
Hello Laxmi, please use the baking mode..please read the manual of your OTG and use the mode that has been recommended to bake cakes and cookies. I am sorry I am not familiar with OTG so you will have to read the manual and figure it out yourself!
Hello , love this recipe , but have a question….. how many days can i store these biscuits if using ghee ? And how many days can i store these if i use butter ??
Thanks for the lovely recipe
Hi Mini, They will easily last for couple of weeks in an airtight container when you use ghee…I have not tried them with butter but I think the shelf life will be lesser with butter..
Ok perfect thanks a million for the information
Very nice recipe
Hi, can the substitute the ghee with olive oil ?
you may!
Hi, the biscuits seem tasty and easy to make. But can we make them on microwave? If yes, then how? pls tell me know.
I am sorry I don’t know how to make these in the microwave..this recipe needs an oven!
These are perfect! I used them as teething biscuits for my son and he loves them. They are perfectly crispy and healthy. They taste like the “nice time” chai biscuits we get here in India.
Glad to hear that your son enjoys them Pooja! 🙂
one cup how much ml or gram in your measurement
try this http://www.errenskitchen.com/cooking-conversions/cups-to-grams-and-oz/
Indian Shortbread!! Love your variation
It is very yummy.i tried ii
Glad you like them Neeru 🙂
I must acknowledge your baking skills and thank you for this perfect recipe.i made these biscuits and every member of my family loved them.traditional,healthy,easy and delicious.
Now I will certainly love to try all of your recipes.thanks and stay blessed.
Thanks Hafsa 🙂 I am glad you liked the biscuits!
You made me nostalgic! Will make these soon!
These atta biscuits are beautiful, Manali! They sound perfect with a cup of chai!
They are so good with chai, thanks Kelly!
Tea is so much more soothing with biscuits! I’ve never had atta biscuits before, but there’s a first time for everything. They look beautiful, too!
Thank you Mir!
Dunked biscuit in chai is the best thing ever. And these atta biscuits look so nice and crisp Manali. Cinnamon and cardamom sound awesome here!
Thanks Anu! absolutely, nothing like chai and biscuit!
Can i use cinnamon powder instead of nutmeg? Please let me know
Thanks
Yes subha, you may!
Not really a fan of nutmeg or cinnamon, so do they taste good without it?
add cardamom maybe?
Very true manali…chai without rusk or biscuit is not possible for me..? loved the biscuits☺
Oh yummy, Manali! These cookies with chai sounds soooo good! I would love to try authentic chai someday soon with some of these delicious biscuits! They kind of sound like a shortbread cookie and remind me a little biscoff cookies! I eat those with my English tea all the time and it’s just the best combo! I can’t wait to make these!!!
Oooh, they do look deliciously crispy! I bet they smell amazing when cooking, with the nutmeg.
I’ve never dunked biscuits in chai before. Now I think I’m really missing out, especially since these sound lovely. I’m a big fan of chai, so I need to try these out!
Love homemade biscuits and would love to try these! They look awesome!
Luvly… Will make it for my lil 8 mnths old..luv d illustrations n explaination
Don’t know about these biscuits, but they look so adorable and delicious.
I’ve never heard of Atta biscuits, but I do love a good mug of chai…so clearly I need to make a batch of these biscuits and brew up some chai this morning! 🙂
I’ve never heard of these biscuits before, but I love how easy they are to prepare! Sounds perfect to go along with my morning cup of coffee!