These gluten-free chickpea cookies are buttery soft, crumbly and will just melt-in-your-mouth. Flavored with cardamom, rose water and topped with pistachios, they are so easy to make and will absolutely win you over!
Chickpea Cookies
Your search for the perfect, naturally gluten-free cookies ends here! These Persian chickpea cookies, known as Nan-e Nokhodchi, are amazingly fragrant and mouth watering.
The flavor profile is reminiscent of some popular Indian treats, because of similar ingredients used. You can customize the flavors to your taste as well.
These cookies are popular at the time of Persian new year (Norouz). They are so easy to make and can be a fun project to do with kids and family. Make a lot of these and share it as gifts.
Traditional Persian cookies are in a four-leaf clover shape. But you can try making with any cookie cutters or even a smooth tablespoon measuring spoon.
Your perfect gluten-free treat for the holidays.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ghee: It is available at most grocery stores or online. But you can easily make ghee at home (see recipe notes). Other options are clarified butter or oil (check vegan variation below).
- Oil: Use a neutral tasting oil, such as light olive oil.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar.
- Cardamom: Good quality cardamom pods are plump and green in color. And this is important for optimal flavor.
- Rose Water: It pairs so well with the other flavors in these cookies.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness.
- Chickpea Flour: For perfect results, get the fine chickpea flour that is made from roasted chickpeas. It is available at Persian grocery stores and online. Or you can purchase roasted chickpeas and process it into a flour.
- Pistachios: I used bright green Persian pistachios available online. Make sure that the nuts are unsalted
How to Make It
Brief overview below. *Full recipe for chickpea cookies at the end of blog post.
- Dough: Take all the ingredients and combine into a dough.
- Shape: Flatten the dough and make cookies.
- Bake: Arrange on baking sheet, bake and cool very well.
Top Tips
- Make sure that the ghee is melted well. If it thickens, melt it again but it should not be hot.
- It is easier to work with the crumbly dough, when using hands and at room temperature. The warm hands also helps a bit.
Ghee (clarified butter) gives these chickpea cookies a rich and nutty flavor.
Variations
Chickpea flour cookies are vegetarian, gluten free, egg free, soy free and grain free.
Vegan and Dairy Free: To make them vegan and dairy free, skip the ghee and use only oil or combine coconut oil with light olive oil.
Nut Free: Replace pistachios with pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds. You can also try dried coconut flakes.
Reduced Sugar: The sugar contributes to the required texture for these cookies. You can try to lower sugar to ½ cup and increase chickpea flour to 2¼ cups. The cookies will be less sweet.
Storage
These Persian chickpea cookies are very delicate and crumbly. Cool them completely and handle with care. Store in an airtight container. The cookies can also be frozen for a month.
What to Serve Along
Try it with our homemade dried fruit tea, saffron tea or healthy hot cocoa (made with walnuts).
Are Chickpea Cookies Good For You?
Chickpea cookies are gluten free. With the rising occurrence of gluten allergies and other conditions requiring a gluten free diet, there is always a need for gluten free recipes. So this would be a great cookie option for that.
Also, chickpea flour has more fiber and protein compared to all purpose flour, which is commonly used for making cookies.
It is essential to use "roasted" chickpea flour and not the regular raw chickpea flour because it makes a world of difference. The sifted and roasted fine chickpea flour gives these cookies that incredible sandy and crumbly texture.
More Delicious Treats
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Chickpea Cookies (Nan-e Nokhodchi)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee clarified butter or light olive oil
- ¼ cup olive oil light
- ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom freshly ground green pods, adjust per taste
- ½ tablespoon rose water
- 1 Pinch salt
- 2 cups fine chickpea flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon pistachios unsalted, slivered
Equipment
- Measuring Spoons smooth tablespoon, optional
- Vitamix Blender optional for homemade flour
- Food Processor optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl, combine melted ghee, oil, sifted powdered sugar, ground cardamom, rose water and salt. Make sure that there are no lumps. Then add the sifted roasted chickpea flour, combine well and knead to make a dough. Tip: Sift the sugar and flour directly into the bowl.
- On a smooth work surface, flatten the dough to about ¾ inch in thickness. It may be a bit crumbly, but using warm hands and working at room temperature is helpful. Scatter pistachios on the dough and lightly press the nuts into it.
- Press the cookie cutter into the dough and move it a bit to grab the dough. Then release it gently and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, with the pistachio side facing up. Repeat with remaining dough. (See notes for making cookies using measuring spoon.)
- Space cookies at least one inch apart and bake for about 14 to 18 minutes until they turn a very light golden color. You will notice delicate cracking on the surface when the cookies are baked well.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool very well. Carefully transfer the delicate cookies to a serving platter or an airtight container.
Notes
- Chickpea flour: Use "roasted" fine chickpea flour and not the regular raw chickpea flour. It is available at Persian grocery stores or online and I have linked to it on the site. Or make your own homemade flour in a vitamix, using roasted split chickpeas available at Indian grocery stores.
- Ghee:
- Readymade ghee is available at most grocery stores or online.
- Homemade: To prepare ghee, melt unsalted butter and let it simmer at a low setting. Allow the milk solids settled at the bottom of the pan to toast to a light brown. Strain the light golden liquid ghee from the top.
- Make sure that the ghee is melted well. If it thickens, melt it again but it should not be hot.
- Shaping Cookies With Tablespoon Measure: Place pistachios in the center of a smooth tablespoon measure. Fill up the tablespoon with dough and pack it really well using your palm and fingers. Then carefully scoop out the cookie dough.
- Storage: Chickpea cookies are very delicate and crumbly. Cool them completely and handle with care. Store in an airtight container and the cookies can also be frozen for a month.
- For more information on ingredients, variations (vegan, dairy-free, nut-free and reduced sugar) and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
This post was first published in November 12, 2016 and has been updated with pictures, video, improvements in recipe formatting, tips and additional enhancements.
Samantha
I've seen a few recipes that call or setting the dough aside before baking. Thoughts?
Roxana Begum
I have not needed to do that with this recipe. The dough is crumbly and not wet, so I just pack it nicely into the cookie mold. You can try to wrap or cover the dough and set it aside for couple hours at room temperature. Let me know if you preferred that.
Mona Chokshi
Can I roast plain chickpea flour which you get it from Indian store?
I would like to make it today and don't have roasted flour at home.
Roxana Begum
I prefer the roasted chickpea flour, it is a bit more finer and smooth. But you could try a small batch with the other flour and see if you like it. Let me know if your liked it :)
Sandrajoy
It is very easy to roast any flour. Put the flour in a tawa low flame and it roasts itself.Get a little of the flour from the tawa and make a line with it. You know it is roasted when you can make a line with it. My ancestors roasted Besan flour.
Roxana Begum
Yes it is certainly easy to roast flour. Watch closely especially as the pan gets more hot and the flour picks up the heat. Towards the end it can easily burn if you do not watch closely and also stir more often.
Elaine
Wow, these look so delicious! I've never used chickpea flour before! But I can't wait to try as you make it look so easy! I love the flavors together, especially the pistachios!
Roxana Begum
Thanks Elaine. Chickpea flour is great for sweets, baking etc. For these cookies though I would make sure to use the "roasted chickpea flour" available at Indian stores and certain middle eastern stores. Its available online too (the easiest way to get :) the link is in the post above.
Natalie
These cookies look amazing and I love the combination of pistachio and chickpea flour. Delicious!
Roxana Begum
Thanks Natalie. Yes they are wonderful together. Works well in desserts.
Calleigh K
Hmmmm.. I could smell the cardamon through the monitor screen lol.. These cookies look amazing, I can't wait to try these.
Roxana Begum
:) :) Thanks Calleigh
Sharon
Cardamom and pistachios go so well together. I love these little cookies! Can't wait to make them.
Roxana Begum
They sure do. Hope you enjoy it.
Edyta
This is so interesting. I'd love to try these cookies.
Roxana Begum
Thanks Edyta
Traci
I love how we can use chickpeas for everything! This recipe looks outstanding. Pinning and sharing this one...thanks!
Roxana Begum
Oh thanks Tracie. That makes me happy :) Yes Chickpeas are marvelous.
Amy
Hi, these look great and I really want to make them, however I don't have ghee or light olive oil. Can I use regular olive oil or will it not work? Many thanks
Roxana
Thanks Amy :). Ghee can be prepared using clarified butter as mentioned in the "notes" section. You can also use melted butter instead of that. In place of light olive oil you could use any oil that has more of a neutral flavor and that goes well with cakes/cookies. Such as corn oil for example. Also, please make sure to use "roasted" chickpea flour as mentioned in the recipe.
Nazima
These look fantastic! I can almost taste the cardamom through the screen ;)
Roxana
Thank you so much Nazima :)