Suji Crystal Cookies

From one challenge to another! This time, it's the Home Baker's Challenge, which I love to participate whenever I get a chance. Our host for this time is Niloufer and she gave us some lovely Malaysian bakes. In Malay culture, they bake cookies and cakes especially during Eid, which they call Hari Raya, and hence baking is a part of their culture. She had given some lovely choices which were really difficult to select from.

Since I wanted to participate, yet I was not having much time in hand, I went for one of the easiest bakes that she offered. In the beginning, I thought I would make it plain but then looking at those cute looking beauties, I just decided to go ahead and do the marble effect. They didn't turn as good looking as I would have loved to, but who cares? The kids thought that ummi had made very beautiful looking cookies... At a stage of life, you feel contented by the fact that there is a little bunch at home who will be very frank in their opinion in whatever you do, because of the link the One has created with them, Alhamdulillah... :)





Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup roasted almond powder
1/2 cup ghee, melted and cooled
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond essence
1/8 tsp salt
Edible food color - I used pink and green Wilton Gel

Method:

Whisk the flour, baking powder and soda in a bowl till well combined. Add the rest of the ingredients from almond powder to salt and mix well into a nice stiff dough. Set aside in the fridge for half an hour.

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Cover a baking pan with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into three equal portions. Use pink in one and green in the other and knead till well combined. Pinch out equal sized portion from the three doughes and shape into a ball. Keep on the baking tray. Repeat till the dough is completed. I got 10 large sized cookies.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack before digging in!!!


Notes:

1. For the roasted almond powder, I took 1/2 packed cup almonds, dry roasted on low flame for almost 20 minutes, cooled it completely and then pulsed it till course.
2. Instead of using icing sugar, I powdered normal sugar in the blender and used it.
3. My colors were just not dark!!! :( I just couldn't find toothpick to pull out sufficient color and therefore made it with what I was able to manage with. Even despite the lightness, these looked cute.
4. The final step involves rolling in castor sugar, which I ignored, as the cookies were sweet themselves.