The first time I set out a tin of barfi shortbread cookies for Diwali, my six-year-old skipped the chocolate-dipped ones and ate three plain biscuits in a row. That told me the dough already tasted like the mithai counter: milky, cardamom-warm, not cloyingly sweet.
These burfi biscuits are an eggless Indian fusion bake. Milk powder stands in for the richness you get from mawa in classic barfi, while butter and a spoon of ghee keep the crumb tender like shortbread. Rose water and cardamom do the festive work so you are not standing over a stove reducing milk for hours.
If you want a cookie that feels special in a gift box but still comes together on a weeknight, let’s mix, chill, and bake a tray. I’ll show you how to keep them pale, crumbly, and ready for chai.
What Are Barfi Shortbread Cookies?
Barfi is a family of Indian milk sweets, often set with khoya (reduced milk) and flavored with cardamom, nuts, or saffron. Shortbread is a buttery British-style cookie known for a sandy, melt-in-the-mouth crumb.
Barfi shortbread (sometimes called burfi biscuits or milk powder shortbread) bridges the two: you bake instead of cooking fudge on the stove, but the flavor still nods to burfi thanks to full-fat milk powder and warm spices.
This recipe is eggless, which makes it easy for vegetarian guests and school-friendly if you skip the chocolate dip.
Why You’ll Love This Version
- Burfi flavor without khoya. Milk powder gives a gentle mawa note in a cookie you can roll and cut.
- Ghee plus butter. One tablespoon of ghee in the creamed mix adds a familiar Indian bakery aroma.
- Not too sweet. Icing sugar keeps the base mild so white chocolate dip does not feel heavy.
- Short chill, predictable bake. Twenty minutes in the fridge helps hold shape; bake until dry on top and barely golden at the edges.
- Festive or everyday. Dress half the batch with pistachio and rose for Diwali or Eid; leave the rest plain for lunchboxes.
- Make-ahead dough. Mix the dough up to 24 hours ahead and chill until you are ready to roll.
Tip from my kitchen: The batch I kneaded “just a little longer” to smooth the dough turned out firmer than the one I stopped mixing as soon as it held together. Treat it like shortbread: combine, press into a disc, chill. Do not knead.
Ingredient Notes
Milk powder: Use full-fat milk powder and measure with a light hand. Extra milk powder can make the cookies chewy instead of crumbly.
Icing sugar: Powdered sugar helps tenderness. If you only have granulated sugar, pulse it in a blender until fine before creaming.
Ghee: Adds burfi character. If you avoid ghee, use the same amount of softened unsalted butter.
Rose water: A small amount gives floral burfi notes. You can swap 2 to 3 drops of rose essence, or skip rose and add a pinch of saffron crushed in 1 teaspoon warm milk.
Flour and cornstarch: All-purpose flour plus cornstarch keeps the texture delicate. Do not substitute extra milk powder for flour.
Decorating and Gifting
- Melt white chocolate in short microwave bursts, stirring between.
- Dip each round cookie halfway in white chocolate only, let excess drip off, and set on parchment.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios and edible dried rose petals on the wet chocolate.
- Let set at room temperature until firm.
Pack plain cookies between sheets of parchment in a tin. Add dipped ones on top so the chocolate does not mark the bottoms.
For a full tea spread, set these beside Indian afternoon tea finger sandwiches and a pot of masala chai. Savory crunch from vegetable pakora or mixed veg cutlet balances the sweetness.
What to Serve With
- Chai: Masala chai or strong ginger tea is the classic pairing.
- More Indian desserts on the table: Try mango shrikhand for a no-bake bowl, gajar halwa trifle for layered glasses, or kesar badam chia pudding when you want saffron-almond flavor without turning on the oven again.
- Halwa lovers: Our full carrot halwa (gajar ka halwa) guide is the stovetop sibling if guests ask for warm mithai instead of cookies.
Barfi Shortbread Cookies (Eggless Burfi Biscuits)
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- 2-inch round cookie cutter
- Baking sheets and parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 150 g
- 1/2 cup full-fat milk powder 60 g
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch 22 g
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g; softened
- 1 tablespoon ghee 14 g; softened , or extra butter
- 1/2 cup icing sugar 60 g
- 1/2 teaspoon rose water
Optional toppings
- 3 oz white chocolate 85 g; chopped
- 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon edible dried rose petals
Instructions
Make the dough
- Line two baking sheets with parchment. Whisk flour, milk powder, cornstarch, salt, and cardamom in a bowl.
- Beat butter and ghee until smooth, about 1 minute. Add icing sugar and rose water; beat until pale and fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients on low until crumbly. Press into one mass with a spatula or hands. Do not knead.
Roll, cut, and chill
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Cut 2-inch rounds; gather scraps, reroll once, and cut again.
- Transfer cookies to sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. Chill 20 minutes in the refrigerator (or 10 minutes in the freezer).
Bake
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Bake 14 to 17 minutes, one sheet at a time, until tops look dry and edges are barely golden.
- Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.
Optional white chocolate dip
- Melt white chocolate in 20-second microwave bursts, stirring between. Dip each cookie halfway; shake off excess.
- Sprinkle pistachios and rose petals on the wet chocolate. Let set at room temperature until firm.
Notes
FAQs
Can I skip chilling the dough?
Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape and bake evenly. If you are short on time, freeze the cut shapes for 10 minutes instead of 20 in the fridge. Bake one test cookie first; if it spreads too much, chill the rest longer.
Why did my cookies turn out hard or chewy?
Usually overmixing after adding flour, or too much milk powder. Mix only until the dough comes together. Press into a disc, chill, and handle gently when rerolling scraps.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Wrap the dough disc tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes if too firm to roll.
Do I need ghee and butter?
Ghee adds a subtle burfi note. You can use all butter if that is what you have. Avoid adding extra oil; the dough is rich enough.
Can I use granulated sugar instead of icing sugar?
Pulse granulated sugar in a blender until fine, then measure. Coarse sugar can make the creaming grainy and the cookies less tender.
Are these kid-friendly for school?
Plain undipped cookies work well. Skip nuts on the plain batch if your school is nut-free. Chocolate-dipped versions are better for home or party tins.
These barfi shortbread cookies hit the sweet spot between mithai nostalgia and something you can actually bake on a busy day. Pale, crumbly, and fragrant with cardamom, they belong in your Diwali tin and on the saucer next to chai.
If you try them, tell me in the comments: do you prefer them plain, or dipped in white chocolate with pistachio?
Save this recipe for your next festival tray, and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram when your batch comes out of the oven. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
