These Cashew Cookies are buttery, nutty, mildly sweet and are made without eggs. Flavored with cardamom, these crescent cookies are a perfect pairing with coffee or impressive in Christmas cookie tray.
Cashew Cookies
Cookie week continues with Cashew Nut Cookies. These are fun to make since they are shaped like cashew nuts. They are soft, buttery and flavored with ground cardamom.
These are more like wedding cookies, melt away or snowball cookies. Made without almond flour and uses ground cashews instead. A shortbread base recipe that is so buttery, crisp, without eggs and mildly sweet ----> my favorite part.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THESE BISCUITS?
Cashew Cookies
- Make ahead & Freezer friendly - These type of shortbread type biscuits without any glaze or icing are great to be stocked in the freezer, which makes it perfect to made ahead before the Holiday season.
- Only 5 ingredients - Recipes with few ingredients are always an added bonus for it's convenience.
- Mildly sweet and perfect with coffee or chai - Simple biscuits are always a perfect pairing with your cup of joe or tea.
- Fun shapes - Cut the dough into moon, crescent or kaju shapes. Also, these can be simply made into rounds.
- Eggless - A recipe for vegetarians.
- Crisp & Buttery - It is simple with the taste of butter and ground cardamom.
A little about Cashew Nuts
Native to South America, they are widely grown in India and Africa. With slightly sweet flavor and a mild crunch, they are buttery, incredibly rich in healthy fats, protein, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
They have recently gained popularity in main stream US markets. Known as kaju, they are widely used in Indian sweet desserts or biscuits, for adding a creamy base for curries, soups, sauces and also make a delicious snack when roasted.
CAN I USE VANILLA EXTRACT INSTEAD OF CARDAMOM?
Sure can! If you are out of cardamom or not a fan of the spice, then simple use vanilla extract instead.
HOW TO MAKE CARDAMOM POWDER?
Grind about ¼ cup green cardamoms to a fine powder in a dry grinder and measure as needed for the recipe. I usually grind much more than that and store cardamom powder in a sealed zip lock bag and place in the freezer. This stays fresh for months.
DOUGH CONSISTENCY
If the dough is softer, then cookies will flatten when being baked and if too firm then they will have cracks when being shaped. So, the dough should be soft yet firm.
- If dough feels softer - mix in 1 or 2 teaspoons more all purpose flour
- If dough feels very firm - mix in 1 or 2 teaspoons milk
INGREDIENTS
- Flour – Regular unbleached all purpose flour
- Butter – Unsalted butter at room temperature. Adjust salt is using salted butter.
- Confectioners Sugar – Used for both making the cookies and coating.
- Cashews - Raw cashews made into a fine powder.
- Cardamom - Made into fine powder
PRO TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Use room temperature unsalted butter.
- Confectioners sugar is the same as powdered sugar found in grocery stores.
- Process the nuts into a fine powder - I prefer processing them in a coffee grinder, Nutri bullet or mini food processor.
- Size - Divide cookie dough into 8 equal pieces for larger cookies or 12 pieces for medium size cookies.
- Baking time - It takes approximately 25 minutes for larger cookies and 20 minutes for medium cookies.
- Pull the snowballs out of the oven when the bottoms have browned but the tops are golden in color.
- Dusting the kaju biscuits in powdered sugar when warm is key. If cooled completely then it might stick.
VARIATIONS
- Replace cashew nuts with other type of nuts like chopped raw pistachios, walnuts, toasted almonds or pecans.
- Replace butter with ghee for a real Indian flavored cookies (almost tastes like good day).
- Use vanilla extract instead of cardamom powder.
- Mix in mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chips to the dough.
How to package them for gift giving during Christmas? I like to place 2 or 3 cookies in a cupcake liner, which not makes a pretty presentation, but also is less messy.
& cardamom
HOW TO MAKE?
- Powder Cashews - Measure ¼ cup raw cashews and process in a dry grinder into a fine powder.
- Make dough - Cream butter, ¼ cup confectioners sugar and salt, until creamy. Mix in flour, powdered cashews and ground cardamom, to form a soft yet firm dough.
- Shape - Roll dough into a 8-inch log, cut into 8 equal pieces (to make larger cookies) or 12 equal pieces to make medium sized cookies. Shape each piece of dough into a crescent shape and press a halved cashew on top.
- Chill, Bake - Place prepared dough in a parchment lined baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven until brown around the edges and golden on top.
- Dust -Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.
HOW TO STORE?
They can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
HOW TO FREEZE?
Baked biscuits (without sugar coating) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Sugar coated cookies are perfect to be frozen – Place them in a baking sheet and freeze until hard, then transfer them to a sealed freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Freeze Cookie dough - It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator and then at room temperature to shape into balls.
To Thaw
Remove frozen kaju or cashew nut biscuits out of the container and place them on a plate (in a single layer) and let come to room temperature (uncovered). You can roll or dust them in more powdered sugar to give them a fresh look.
More Cookie Recipes to try:
Cashew Nut Crescent Cookies with Cardamom
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup confectioners sugar divided
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup raw cashews made into a powder
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 4 to 6 raw cashews split in half (optional)
Instructions
- Add butter, ¼ cup confectioners sugar and salt into a medium bowl. Beat with a hand held electric beater for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Add all purpose flour, powdered cashews and cardamom powder. Beat until the dough comes together (the dough needs to be soft yet firm, mix in a touch of more flour of it feels too soft).
- Gather dough into a ball, roll into a 8-inch log and cut into 8 equal portions (for large cookies) and 12 equal portions (for medium cookies). Shape each portion into a small log and make into a crescent shape. Place a halved cashew on top, pressing lightly into the dough.
- Place shaped cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Bake - Preheat ove to 350°F.
- Bake cookies for 21 to 26 minutes (20-22 minutes for medium ones and 23-26 minutes for larger ones) , or until the edges are brown and tops are golden in color.
- Place baking pan on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes or warm. Place remaining confectioners sugar into a small strainer and dust a liberal coating on the cookies.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If dough feels softer – mix in 1 or 2 teaspoons more all purpose flour
- If dough feels very firm – mix in 1 or 2 teaspoons milk
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third party calculations, should be considered estimates and not be construed as a guarantee. Varying factors such as product types, brands purchased, produce, the way ingredients are processed and more change the nutritional information in any recipe.
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mcrchicago
these are so easy and delicious! Will definitely make them often. One question, do you leave the green pod on the cardamom when you grind it to powder? or just the seeds inside?
Maria Doss
Hi Mcrchicago, We grind the whole pods (along with the skin). Wishing you a very happy Holidays, Maria
Laura
Hi planning on making these with cardamom and ones with vanilla. What amount of vanilla do I use if not using cardamom? Let me know. Thanks
Maria Doss
Hi Laura, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract will work perfect. Have a wonderful day - Maria