Eggless Mawa Cake Cookies are flavored with mawa (milk solids), cardamom and saffron! They make the perfect festive treat and will be great as edible gifts too!
1/2cupbutter113 grams (1 stick), at room temperature. You can use either unsalted or salted butter. I used unsalted.
1/3cupgranulated white sugar67 grams
generouspinchsaffron strands
1/2cupmawa84 grams, khoya/dried milk solids
chopped almonds, pistachios and dried rose petalsfor topping the cookies
Instructions
In a bowl sift together flour, cardamom powder, baking powder and salt. Set this aside.
To the steel bowl of your stand mixer (or use your hand mixer), add butter with sugar and generous pinch of saffron strands. Beat using the paddle attachment on medium speed until it's creamy.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add mawa. Mix until it is combined and then add in the dry ingredients (flour mix).
Mix the dry ingredients until the dough comes together. The dough is quite soft and comes together easily when using a stand mixer. If for some reason yours isn't coming together, you can some milk. Wrap the dough in cling sheet and chill for 30 minutes.
After the dough has been chilled, roll in into 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies of any shape you like. I used a square cookie cutter (1.5" square). You will get 25 to 27 cookies (more or less depending on how big or small you make them).
Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with pistachios, almond and dried rose petals (if desired). Bake at 350 F degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until they are crispy. Remove from oven and transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.Store mawa cake cookies in an airtight container. They should be good for a week at room temperature and for more time in the fridge.
Notes
If you prefer you can even add nuts in the batter. I just like topping the cookies with nuts and keeping them plain.
The baking time will depend on thickness of the cookies and how big the cookies are. They will bake quicker if the thickness is 1/8 inch and will take more time if you cut them 1/2 inch thick.
Each oven is different so keep an eye after 15 minutes. You don't want the bottom of the cookies to burn.
Chilling the dough is not essential but recommended. Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and prevents spreading of the cookies in the oven