The first from two of a kind…
Jan 18th, 2008 | By Sunita | Category: bakes, cookies and biscuitsAcaju, acajuiba, anacardo……pajuil, gajus, jambu….or the all familiar ‘kaju’ or ‘cashew’ nuts, as is usually known, is perhaps the most common nut in India…well, and why not…considering that India ranks first in area utilized for cashew production. It seems that cashew nuts are native to Brazil and made it’s way into India ( Goa , to be precise) through the Portuguese, way back in 1560. In fact, the English name of ‘cashew’ comes from the Portuguese ‘caju’ , which in turn comes from the Tupi- Indian word ‘acaju’. It’s really amazing to think that a humble nut has made it’s way from another part of the globe and is now contributing to the economy of it’s adopted home (or homes, as they are now grown in many other tropical countries as well).
It seems that cashews have quite a few health benefits as well,(apart from being a scrummy snack in their roasted and salted avatar!!). Along with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc… it is also rich in ‘fat’…but it is supposed to be of the goody kind. Having them in moderation ( tell Dinesh that!!!) can be quite beneficial. And these dear nuts also contain 0% cholesterol.
Cashewnuts also form an important part of many Indian desserts and sweets – especially, the payash(rice pudding) and the kaju barfi ( Rengoni and Agastya’s ‘favourite Indian sweet’, as they say). I also like their shape…don’t they look like commas 
And what about all those yummy vegetarian and non vegetarian recipes in which these nuts lend their richness…the list goes on…
Right! Now, wasn’t that enlightening 
But, seriously,I also have another motive behind all that. You see, lately, our stock of these nuts have been on quite the upper scale…somehow, we landed up with more than was required. The oven beckoned, and I couldn’t resist…so much so that I baked two batches of cashew cookies … they were quite similar in their ingredients…but were made differently, and needless to say, also differed in the taste department. The following is my recipe for the first batch of cashew cookies that I baked…
What’s needed-
1 C cashew nuts, very coarsely ground
3 tblsp semolina
1/2 C plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
2 and 1/2 tblsp of oil
3 tblsp muscovado sugar
8-9 cashew nuts, halved
How to-
- Pre heat the oven at 160 deg cel and line a baking tray.
- Beat the egg in a bowl.
- Seive the flour and soda into the bowl and mix well.
- Add the semolina and ground cashews and mix well ( preferably by hand)
- Add the sugar and the oil, one after the other and mix well ( just enough, do not over mix)
- Make 16-17 balls of the mixture and place them slightly apart from each other on the baking tray.
- Flatten the balls with your fingertips to discs of about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Press a halved cashew on top of each and bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden around the edges( do keep and eye on them after 10 minutes, as they tend to brown very quickly after that) .
- Cool the cookies in the pan for 3-4 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
These cookies take very little time to make and taste great as well. They came out very crisp(especially when they are warm) and were a real nutty delight.
That’s it for now…as for the other recipe, do watch out for it….will be coming very soon. Take care and have a great weekend !!
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What a lovely cashew cookies,yummie!
Have a nice weekend!
Angela
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crunchyyy!!
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love this new look suni… ur blog looks so fresh, clutter free and lovely now.
and u r creative. there r zillion time i wished u stayed closer. i dont think i am gonna use my oven for quite long time but it would have been gr8 to have u bake all these goodies for me;)
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Lovely cookies!
Nice look too! Have a gr8 weekend!
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Sunita, This recipe is a keeper. It should work with other ‘creamy’ nuts as well – Pine nuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts. Thanks for the recipe…rather a method.
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lovely cashew cookies, they look so simple to make.
the sprouting shoots header looks swell
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great photos. the cookies look so crisp. yummy
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Crumbly cashew cookies! What a lovely treat! Love the new header too, with one of the recent favorites
. Loved your previous post too, you described your Mom’s expressions so well…..and the curry sure looks gorgeous!
Have a wonderful weekend.
cheers,
musical.
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Angela, thanks…they were quite nice indeed…btw, I have tried to answer your querry regarding the parathas…hope you’ll give it a try
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nags, go on crunch away to your hearts content
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Sia, thanks you so much…I was really unhappy with my last banner…a little happier now…and reall, In to wish you stayed somewhere nearby..I wouldn’t mind baking for you
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manasi, thanks…you have a relaxing time too
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suganya,you’re most welcome, and you said it…works very well with almonds
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Richa, thanks…they are really easy to make indeed…as for the header, I’m not sure they were sprouting though…I had taken the shot this autumn, and the tree had just become bare…
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musical, thanks you so much dear…I hope you’re doing good too…how’s the winter in your neck of the woods?…it’s much warmer than last year.
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Yummy caju cookies!! Im salivating at work
) Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by my blog Sunita.
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As usual you rock lady ……excellent cookie !!wish could taste one of them !!!
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lovely cookies sunitha I can imagine the taste of them
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You are one heck of a talented lady, you know that?
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The cashew nut crisps look and sound good!
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I’d love to have a bite of those crunchers..what can I use instead of muscovado sugar..would regular brown sugar do?
Awaiting the other recipe
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Who could resist the yummy taste of cashew nuts.
Looks delicious. I’m going to try it out.
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anuzi,
thanks…you enjoy your weekend too
deepa,
thanks…wish I could hand some over
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sagari,
thanks…they did taste good indeed
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kevin,
thanks…give them a try …
rachel,
thanks…other brown sugars will probably go well with these cookies
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the cooking ninja,
thanks…do give them a try
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impossible for me to have any moderation with cashews..i love em!
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those look crunchy and yummy,and love the new look of the blog Sunita!
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rajitha, I know, they are very addictive, aren’t they
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Lovely….I like the bits visible in the cookies.
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Pretty looking cashew crisps Sunita
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Hey Sunita, i am doing good. Los Angeles is usually very bright and sunny all through the year, kinda’ chilly in the winter evenings, but just that
. Stay warm and enjoy.
cheers,
musical.
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the cookies are yummylicious sunita!
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Yes, I made them this weekend, they were delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Angela
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shilpa, thganks…these were nutty throughout
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namratha, thanks…hope you had a great weekend.
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musical, compared to last year, this has been quite warm in our neck of the woods.
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Angela, you’re most welcome…I’m so glad you tried them out.
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I love cashews & these look delicious!
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cooking and the city, thanks…glad you dropped by
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Hey you changed the look again.
(
Cookies look good. I am addicted to cookies. So i try not to make them
But if you are giving me i would accept with a huge smile
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I love pignoli cookies, so I know I would adore cashew cookies. Thank you so much for the recipe, it’s a winner!
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susan, welcome to my world…it’s a very simple recipe that I concocted, and was glad it came out well.
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happy cook, thanks…come over, I’ll bake loads for you
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I’ve been looking for cashew cookies that taste ‘very cashew’. it’s quite hard, because their delicate taste tends to get lost in cookoies. So I might try these out, the look delicious!
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