Evening tea is incomplete without a serving of crumbly, buttery biscuits. One such delicious treat you must try is jeera biscuit. Jeera or cumin, as it is called in English, is a spice used in cuisines worldwide.

An Indian kitchen staple, jeera adds incredible flavour to any dish that it is a part of. And so it is with biscuits! This jeera biscuit recipe is extremely easy and can be prepared with or without an oven. The end result tastes just like the sweet, spicy and buttery jeera biscuits from the local bakery! Not only that, but the organic variant of jeera is even more potent in terms of health benefits due to the lack of harmful chemical compounds. Try this delicious beginner’s guide to jeera biscuit recipe to add a wonderful snack to tea-time!

Note: This jeera biscuit recipe serves approximately 20 biscuits.

List Of Ingredients

• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of maida or all-purpose flour
• 1/4th cup and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk
• 1/2 cup of butter, soft (preferably unsalted)
• 1 tablespoon of jeera or cumin seeds
• 1/4th teaspoon salt or according to taste

How To Make Jeera Biscuits

1. The first step to making jeera biscuits is roasting the jeera. This can be done in an oven or on the stove. If you prefer to use an oven, spread out the cumin seeds on a baking tray and roast them for around 4 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. If using a stove, dry roast the jeera on medium flame until fragrant. Set it aside.
2. Next, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar. This is easiest to do if the butter is soft as a result of resting at room temperature for a while. Use a hand mixer or whisk for the best results. Beat the mixture until it is light and creamy.
3. Add maida to the same mixing bowl. Make sure to sift it for the best texture. Add salt and 3/4th tablespoon of the roasted jeera. You can increase the amount of salt if you prefer savoury biscuits.
4. Mix well until dough is smooth. Do not knead. In case the dough is too dry, add some milk. Add in small quantities as you do not want the dough to become too runny.
5. Spread the dough into a flat disc using a roller. It shouldn’t be too thick; approximately 1/4th inch thickness is enough. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
6. Once you’ve taken the dough out of the fridge, sprinkle the remaining jeera seeds on top. Press them in gently.
7. Cut out the jeera biscuits in your preferred shape. Make sure to reuse the scraps from your cutouts by kneading into a disc again. Get creative!
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. If you don’t have an oven, skip to the end for instructions.
9. On a baking tray, arrange the biscuits such that they are at least 2 inches apart.
10. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then bring the temperature down to 325 degrees F or 160 degrees C and bake for another 5-6 minutes. You will know they are done when the sides and bottom of the biscuits are golden-brown in colour.
11. Make sure to keep them separate as you cool them. You can use a wire rack for this.
12. Always store the biscuits in an airtight container.

Baking Without An Oven: Follow the jeera biscuit recipe up to step no. 6. Arrange your biscuits on a steel plate. After that, take a large, deep vessel and place it on the stove.

Take a smaller vessel or rack and place it inside the larger vessel. Place your plate of biscuits on the smaller vessel or rack. You can also use an idli maker in the same way. Cover the setup with a steel plate or cover and then place a slightly thick cloth over that.

Heat the setup on a medium flame for 2 minutes then reduce the flame to low and cook for up to 25 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. This method is a lot less precise so make sure you check the biscuits at the 20-minute mark and adjust the timing accordingly.

Serve with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!

Conclusion

This jeera biscuit recipe is as versatile as it is tasty! If you wish to opt for a healthier version, use whole wheat flour instead of maida. You can also replace powdered sugar with brown sugar for a unique flavour.

You can also play around with the thickness and shape of the biscuits. Just make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly. Do try this recipe and enjoy the perfect sweet and spicy jeera biscuit recipe at home!

References:

1. https://www.cookwithmanali.com/cumin-cookies-jeera-biscuits/
2. https://aromaticessence.co/jeera-biscuits-indian-cumin-cookies/
3. https://recipes.timesofindia.com/recipes/jeera-biscuit/rs62403305.cms

Try 24 Mantra Organic’s Cumin and enjoy tasty Jeera Biscuit recipe.