Jeera or zeera is the Hindi name for cumin seeds. Zeera biscuits are an amazing mix of savory and sweet and a welcome break from the overloaded sweet cookies. These namkeen biscuits (savory cookies) will satisfy your sweet and salty craving all in one go. They are buttery, crispy and so addictive. If you have enjoyed some of the eggless cookies that I’ve shared earlier, you are definitely going to enjoy this savory Indian biscuit recipe too. They are also known as salt biscuits. These sweet and salty biscuits are packed with the fragrant earthy aroma of roasted cumin. So good!
The base of these jeera butter biscuits is adapted from one of my favorite types of biscuits, Karachi bakery style fruit biscuits. Except, we don’t slice and bake here rather chill the dough until it’s workable, roll it and use a cookie cutter to form desired shapes. And of course, the amount of sugar is reduced by half, as this is more of a savory cookie. We love to enjoy these salted jeera biscuits with our evening cuppa over some chit-chat or frankly I can have them anytime. Khari biscuits and rusks are also some of my favorite Indian tea-time snacks. I enjoyed these snacks as a kid and it makes me happy to see my son enjoy it too. Of course, anything cooked/baked by me and is well received by him is always a bonus 😀
How do you make these namkeen zeera biscuits?
You need pantry basics for this eggless jeera biscuit recipe i.e flour, butter, powder, powdered sugar, salt, and of course the star ingredient, cumin seeds.
You will start off by creaming butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add in the dry ingredients. Shape the dough as disc and refrigerate for some time. Roll out the dough, sprinkle some more cumin seeds, cut out desired shapes. Bake until a nice golden brown.
You can also make ajwain cookies with this same recipe. Swap the cumin seeds with ajwain (carom seeds).
If you enjoyed this easy, sweet and savory salt biscuits, you may also like these eggless biscuit recipes
Karachi fruit biscuits Badam pista biscuits Whole wheat and oats digestive cookies Nankhatai (Indian shortbread cookies) Coconut cookies
So let’s get on to the recipe and make some tasty tea time munchies!
How to make jeera biscuits (cumin cookies) – Step by step instructions
Step 1: Roast cumin seeds
Place the butter on your countertop until it reaches room temperature and is softened. You do not want it to be too soft. It should have some resistance when you push a finger through it. Dry roast 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds on a skillet until fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool completely. Then transfer to your work surface and crush it lightly with the help of a rolling pin.
Step 2: Dry ingredients
Sift 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 of the crushed cumin seeds, along with 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
Step 3: Cream butter and sugar
Place 1/2 cup of softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (you can use your hand mixer or a whisk too), sift in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, beat on low heat initially, until the powdered sugar is mixed with the butter, then increase the speed to medium and beat till light and creamy.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter-sugar mixture
Now switch to the lowest speed and add the flour in 3 parts. Gently bring the dough together. Do not knead. If at all the dough is dry, sprinkle few teaspoons of milk at a time, do not add too much.
Step 5: Refrigerate the cookie dough
Shape the dough in a disc and wrap in a cling film. Refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes to make it workable.
Step 6: Roll and cut out
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Remove the disc from the refrigerator, place between 2 parchment papers, and roll it to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle the remaining cumin seeds, and gently press int the dough. Cut out desired shapes using a cookie cutter. Collect the scraps, form a disc, and repeat the same procedure or make small balls from the scraps and flatten them between your palms.
Step 7: Bake
Transfer the cookies with the help of an offset spatula on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 -15 minutes or 15-18 minutes for crispier cookies. When the bottom of the cookies begins to brown, they are done. They will be soft in the middle but will firm upon cooling. Cool in the baking tray for five minutes and then transfer to the wire rack to cool completely. Jeera biscuits will last for about two weeks in an airtight container.
Notes
★ If you try these eggless jeera biscuits, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Feel free to share your feedback and suggestions at [email protected]. Thanks so much 🙂 You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
