Barfi Shortbread Cookies (Eggless Burfi Biscuits)
Eggless barfi shortbread cookies with milk powder, ghee, cardamom, and rose water. Bake pale and crumbly, then optionally dip in white chocolate with pistachio and rose petals.
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
Measure milk powder carefully. Too much makes cookies dense and chewy.
Pale edges are correct for this style. Deep golden color means overbaked.
Store plain cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Freeze plain baked cookies up to 1 month; thaw before dipping.
Vegan swap: use vegan butter instead of ghee and butter; confirm milk powder and white chocolate are plant-based.
Saffron variation: steep a pinch of saffron in 1 teaspoon warm milk 10 minutes and add with the rose water.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!