Eggless Kaju Pista Cookies (Cashew Pistachio Cookies)
Dec 09, 2015, Updated May 07, 2023
Eggless Kaju Pista Cookies are popular tea-time cookies from India!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Kaju Pista Cookies are hugely popular in India. They are eggless and made with pistachios, cashews and flavored with cardamom powder. They are so good with a cup of chai and also perfect for giving as gift!
I am sure everyone must be so busy with their holiday shopping right now. Doesn’t it get a little crazy during this time of the year? I actually don’t like going to malls during the holidays, first of all parking is a huge problem and even if you are lucky enough to find a spot, the lines at all the stores are huge. My biggest problem is with the line if you want to try some clothes on. Like that line in front of the trial room is huge and I really want to avoid it at all costs. Then the lines at checkouts are also huge! I think it’s a good idea to do some shopping well in advance but if you are like me [read:lazy] then obviously you will do it at the peak time, when everyone’s doing it and then get crazy with the whole madness!
If you tired of the whole shopping madness, then I suggest you bake because baking makes everything better. Isn’t it? There’s nothing better than a dipping a crispy homemade cookie into your chai. That’s exactly how I want to start my day, everyday. If you share my sentiments, then I have the most perfect cookie recipe for you today – these kaju pista cookies [ Kaju= cashew and Pista= pistchios in Hindi] are eggless, crispy and flavored with cardamom and kewra to make them perfect chai-time cookie. The addition of custard powder gives them a wonderful taste and aroma.
Speaking of cashews, I really do love them a lot and snack on them often. These days once of the favorite things to snack on is Zone Perfect Dark Chocolate & Cashew Bars. You guys know how much I love chocolate and so these bars are like major LOVE because the combine my 2 favorites – cashews & chocolate! I need something healthy to snack on especially during the Holidays when I am baking so much and these bars are just perfect for that! Snacking on ZonePerfect Perfectly Simple nutrition bar while baking makes me #FeelGooder.
These are gluten free, 200 calories or less, loaded with protein and low calorie to keep you fuller, longer. These bars come in some amazing flavors like like Bing Cherry & Almond, Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk, Roasted Cashew & Dark Chocolate and Almond Toffee Crunch. My favorite these days like I mentioned above is the Roasted Cashew & Dark Chocolate. I am such a dark chocolate fan! And the good news, you can save $1 on these bars right now! Click HERE to get the coupon!
Coming back to my kaju pista cookies or cashew pistachio cookie recipe. This is super simple to make, you just need to mix everything together till it forms a dough and then wrap in a cling and refrigerate for an 1-2 hours. Once the dough is chilled, cut it into pieces and bake till crisp! The cookies get lots of flavors from the cardamom powder, custard powder and kewra essence. I know kewra essence is not common in this part of the world but it’s so commonly used in desserts and beverages in India and South Asia. The extract is distilled from pandanus flowers and smells wonderful. If you can’t find it then you can skip it but it gives the cookies a very nice flavor.
Method
In a bowl sift together flour, custard powder and salt. Set aside.
Using your stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract, kewra essence, cardamom powder and mix till well combined.
Now add the flour mix and chopped nuts.
Mix to form a dough. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is not coming together.
Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each part into a log and then wrap with a cling. Refrigerate the logs for 1-2 hours.
Once the dough has chilled, slice the logs into cookies and place on a baking tray. Bake the cookies at 350 F degrees for 16-17 minutes. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool down.
* The prep time includes the chilling time for 1 hour. The actual prep time is only 10 minutes.
* Don’t forget to grab the $1 off coupon for ZonePerfect Simply Perfect Bars!
Eggless Kaju Pista Cookies (Cashew Pistachio Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2.5 tablespoons vanilla custard powder [i use the one we get at indian stores any brand would do]
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup butter unsalted [1 stick]
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon kewra essence
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped nuts cashews & pistachios and some more to garnish on top
- 1-2 tablespoons milk as required
Instructions
- In a bowl sift together flour, custard powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using your stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract, kewra essence, cardamom powder and mix till well combined.
- Now add the flour mix and chopped nuts.
- Mix to form a dough. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is not coming together.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each part into a log and then wrap with a cling. Refrigerate the logs for 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has chilled, slice the logs into cookies and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle some more chopped cashews and pistachios on top.
- Bake the cookies at 350 F degrees for 16-17 minutes. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool down.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Kaju Pista Cookies
How much butter in grams? With 1.5 cup flour
here is US, 1/2 cup butter is approx 113 grams
Can we replace All Purpose Flourr with same quantity of Almond Flour
you cannot, almond flour works very differently in baking and I have not tested this recipe with almond flour
can i substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and in what quantity
you can , the texture will be little different. Try 50% whole wheat and 50% all purpose
U don’t add baking powder or baking soda in these cookies
no
Hi Manali,
Although the biscuits came out really nice but I feel I cooked them a bit more than required because I felt they were soft initially so I cooked for 5-7 more minutes. Do they become crispy even if they are soft when hot?
cookies always harden as they cool down. they might seem soft when you take them out of the oven.
Can you tell the quantity in grams?
I will measure when I do the recipe again, but 1 cup flour = 130 grams, so 1.5 grams here will be 195 grams of flour.
Hi Manali,
Can I use oil instead of butter?
No, oil is liquid, that will change the ratio of dry to wet ingredients in the recipe. Also butter gives so much flavor to the cookies. You can try ghee but not oil.
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted one?
yes, skip the salt then.
What can I substitute custard powder with ? I stay in France, we don’t get the same custard powder as in India.
use cornflour/cornstarch and they add 1/2 teaspoon extra vanilla extract
Hi can I try this kaju biscuits with besan or rice flour.due to wheat allergy
Hi…., when I try to cut the cookies after taking the them out of the refrigerator they crumble and crack can you please tell me why this is happening ?
Hmm Ritu, you might need to add little more liquid (milk) in the dough if it isn’t coming together and then try refrigerating overnight! It should work!
Thanks so much ?Will try n let you know ?
Came perfect!
Awesome 🙂
Can i skip Kewra
yes you may!
Absolutely gorgeous. These are my favorite ones.
You truly are the most hardworking girl. So many delicious posts up. This one captured my heart. I can never say no to nutty cookies and this has cardamom, it would be hard not to finish that whole box. Love nankhatai kind of cookies.
These cookies sound delightful! I love that they contain both pistachios and cashews! And I can’t believe that they are eggless!!!
These cookies sounds awesome, Manali! I’m definitely a fan of letting the madness pass me by for a day or two while I bake up a batch of these delicious cookies. 🙂
Oh these cookies sound delicious, Manali! I love that they’re eggless and have cashews and pistachios in here. Sounds like they’re o flavorful!
I can never decide if cashews or pistachios are my favourite nut, but now I don’t have to with these cookies. It’s great that they are eggless toO!