Millet cookies recipe - Pearl millet known as bajra in Hindi and Kambu in tamil, made to cookies with bajra flour.
A gluten free cookies with simple ingredients like ghee (clarified butter), sugar and cardamom.

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When I went for a quick trip to Chennai last week for a family function, I tasted this bajra cookies.
Every evening MIL gives some snacks for every one at home and millet cookies were kept isolated and she was asking my co sis if she wanted it.
Millet cookies were passed through someone when they visited. Since my co sis likes millets, she opened and tasted. Gave one for me too for tasting and it was so crisp, light and tasty too.
I just loved it and wanted to try myself baking it. I read the ingredients and wanted to note it down, but forgot as usual.
Still last week when I went for grocery shopping, took this pack of bajra flour from mustafa.
Today I wanted to try and post bajra millet cookies. I adapted the same recipe I used for making nankatai.
I was not sure if the cookies will be in shape or would spread out. And it turned out really tasty and crisp just like the nan katai I made, except that this one is gluten free.
Perfect for your kids snack box too.
Instructions
- Pre heat oven at 190 deg C. Mean while, powder sugar with cardamom and salt.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix pearl millet flour, above powdered sugar mixture and baking powder well.
3. Add ¼ cup ghee little by little as you keep mixing in a rubbing way. You may need more ghee, so keep it handy.
It may take 1 or 2 tablespoon of ghee more. You need a dough that is stiff as well as without cracks. No water or milk needed, just make dough with ghee.
4. Divide into 10 equal sized balls, flatten slightly. Arrange in a tray lined with butter paper and dust it with flour.
Flatten the divided balls to cookies, no need to flatten lot, just a little. Bake at 190 deg C for 14- 15 minutes. Once done, cool over wire rack.
Once cooled down completely, store in airtight container and enjoy! It just melts in mouth.
Recipe card
Millet cookies recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl millet flour Bajra/ kambu
- ¼ cup Ghee plus as needed
- ¼ cup sugar heaped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
Instructions
- Pre heat oven at 190 deg C. Mean while, powder sugar with cardamom and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, mix pearl millet flour, above powdered sugar mixture and baking powder well.
- Add ¼ cup ghee little by little as you keep mixing in a rubbing way.
- You may need more ghee, so keep it handy. It may take 1 or 2 tablespoon of ghee more. Dough should be stiff as well as without cracks. No water or milk needed, just make dough with ghee.
- Divide into 10 equal sized balls, flatten slightly.
- Arrange in a tray lined with butter paper and dust it with flour.Flatten the divided balls to cookies, no need to flatten lot, just a little.
- Bake at 190 deg C for 14- 15 minutes. Once done, cool over wire rack.
Notes
- I used un refined sugar. You can use white sugar too.
- Do not add ghee more than needed.
- Note that baking powder is different from baking soda.
- If the dough cant be rolled or flattened without cracks, it needs little more of ghee.
- You can sprinkle some pistachios as I have did in my nan khatai.
Asha
Excellent.... Looks yummy.... Thanks.
Can we use raagi flour instead of bajra?
Asha
I tried with Raagi flour....and came out very well..thanks once again.
Anitha Josephine
Will try it for sure and let u know...
and I guess it should be ghee in step 4 under instructions..
Gomathi
Hi raks superb reciepe we can use jowar flour if so same recipe knw
Raks Anand
Yes you can 🙂 Thank you!
Nishaa V
Mouth watering cookies!
Raks anand
Oh wow, awesome, thank you for your prompt feedback 🙂
Raks anand
Oopsi, yes, updated, thanks 🙂
Deepu Nanda
Is it brownSugar as bit confused with the color of the sugar?
Rifaya Khan
Can I replace ghee with oil..Or is it a no go...
ramya murali
Today I tried this, came out well and we all enjoyed, thank you for sharing this.
Raks anand
Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Unknown
tried and tested.. it's awesome..Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Raks anand
Thanks a lot for the feedback
jaya ashok
Made this with ragi and kambu came out well.... Tq
Unknown
can i try the same recipe with butter and ragi flour ?
Anusuya Thirumalai Eachambadi
Can we use naattu sakarai or jaggery instead of regular sugar? How about honey too?
Raks anand
Yes I guess.
Raks anand
Yes you can try other sweeteners, but honey I am not sure how the texture would be
Nathara nandu
Hi raks, i planned to provide this cookie as teething biscuit for my LO so is there any alternatives for ghee? If not ghee is compulsary? (My doc advised not to give diary products until he yurn 1 year)
பிரேமாவின் செல்வி
What if I don't have baking powder?
Raks anand
You can use any cooking oil (neutral smelling)
Raks anand
it will turn hard I guess.
Nathara nandu
Thank you for quick reply raks.... Will try soon....
Sathya
What is the shelf life of these cookies
Unknown
What is the shelf life of these cookies?
Unknown
can soya flour add with bajra flour?
Unknown
can soya flour add with bajra flour?
Unknown
My Bajra flour is greenish, your is different, do i need to use a diff kind of bajra flour?
Abhilasha Soni
Are you sure there is no need of milk and water bcz whenever i tried any cookies without milk or water in cookies i found cookies are little dry in taste and also when we touch the cookies i found flour to finger.
Raks Kitchen
Yes, I have not used water or milk
Divya
I baked these cookies and they were good. Just wondering what will happen if milk is used while kneading it. Just calorie conscious because of ghee. Do you think the cookies will become less crisp???
Let me know your thoughts.
Raks Anand
Sure you can reduce it a little, use milk for binding, there will be texture change, but worth a try. Also I want to tell you the whole recipe uses 1/4 cup ghee, you will eat may be one cookie a day, it is not too much of ghee for one day's consume unless otherwise you are macro counting the calories, after all it is good fat, ghee being super food too 🙂
Aesha
Thanks for millet recipe. Can i substitute jaggery with sugar?
Raks Anand
Yes, sure
Sheetal
Hello..You've mentioned 1 cup flour...Does that mean 1 big measuring cup, as in 250 ml version?
Raks Anand
Yes
Divya
What is the shelf life of this cookie?
Raks Anand
5 days to one week
VA
Loved them!! Going to make a double batch next time. The only issue I faced was I had to use way more ghee than the recipe suggested. Any idea why that may happen? Can I use some other substitute next time? Also, will this recipe work with all millet flours?
Raks Anand
Hi, Thank you for your feedback 🙂 Did you use ghee in melted form or was it crystalized? As I have mentioned it may take two more tablespoons of ghee. Probably humidity or flour's nature plays a role. You can try adding milk in case you want to avoid adding more ghee. Adding coconut oil is also a good idea. And yes, you can replace Bajra with any millet flour, but have to experiment the ghee quantity as it takes. Hope this helped you a bit.
Ranjani
Can we add cocoa powder to this? If so, how much will be the quatity? Can u pls confirm?
Raks Anand
I have not tried adding cocoa powder in this recipe before. I am guessing 2 tbsp cocoa powder should work.