Karachi Biscuits

Contrary to what the name suggests, the Karachi biscuits have not come from Karachi. But, the owner of Karachi Biscuits, Sri Khanchand Ramnani did come from Karachi to hyderabad after the partition. He opened his bakery – Karachi Bakery – in Hyderabad (now in Telangana). These biscuits are famous for there powdery and velvety texture and smooth and crispy bites.

Ingredients
  • All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 125 gms (1 cup)
  • Custard – 2 tbsp
  • Sugar – 80 gms (1/3 Cup + 1 tbsp)
  • Butter – 90 gms (½ cup + 1 tbsp)
  • Milk – 2 tbsp (Optional)
  • Cashewnuts (Chopped) – ¼ cup
  • Tutti-Frutti – ½ cup
  • Rose Essence – 1 tsp
Method
  1. Sieve together maida and custard powder and keep the mixture aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, cream butter with hands or with an electric whisk until light. Gradually add sugar to the butter and keep creaming until the mixture becomes smooth. Do not over-beat or over-whisk the butter-sugar mixture.
  3. Add tutti-frutti, rose essence to the butter-sugar mixture and mix well.
  4. Add the sieved flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture.
  5. Collect everything to prepare a soft dough using your fingertips (Do not knead the dough– Do not use your knuckles as if kneading the dough). Use milk only if the dough is dry.
  6. Wrap the dough in the cling film tightly while making the round or square shape.
  7. Refrigerate the dough for minimum one hour.
  8. After one hour, start to pre-heat the oven. Remove the cling film and cut the dough in to ½” thickness.
  9. Arrange the biscuits on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven at 180°C for 8-9 minutes.
Notes
  1. Your cookies are cooked if you see them browning from the sides.
  2. When you will take out the cookies from the oven, they will be soft and cushy. Do not cook them more.
  3. Follow these steps after the cookies are cooked:
    1. Take out the baking tray and keep it on the cooling rack. Let the cookies be on the baking tray till the tray is hot.
    2. Once the tray is at room temperature, remove the cookies from the tray and keep them on a separate plate and allow them to cool for another 30-45 minutes.
  4. If your oven tends to get too hot, reduce the time of baking by 1-2 minutes accordingly.
  5. Remember to keep the cookies batter and cookies sheet/baking tray in cold temperature. The cookies dough or batter or balls should always be chilled before getting into the oven.
  6. DO NOT leave the cookies dough or cookies balls at room temperature. If the oven is not ready, shift the cookies dough or balls into the fridge and take them out only when the oven is ready.