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Nan-e badami
Almond cardamom cookies
نان بادامی: flourless Persian almond cookies with cardamom and rose water
Tabriz and Yazd both claim the best nan-e badami, and in the weeks before Nowruz pastry shops across Iran fill trays with these small almond cookies for the new-year table. Made from ground almonds, sugar and egg white with no flour at all, they have a thin crisp shell and a moist, chewy middle, perfumed with cardamom and rose water and topped with a sliver of pistachio. Offer them with tea when guests make their Nowruz visits; they also keep well enough to make a week ahead. Over-whisking is the easy error: the whites only need to be frothy, not stiff, or the cookies puff and crack like meringues. Chef's tip: let the shaped cookies sit uncovered for 20 minutes before baking so a skin forms; that skin is what gives the neat, crackled top.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 7 oz ground almonds
- 4 oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 egg whitesfrom medium eggs
- 1 tbsp rose water
To finish
- 2 tbsp pistachiosslivered or chopped
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz ground almonds, 4 oz icing sugar and 1 tsp ground cardamom in a bowl, breaking up any lumps.
Step 2: Whisk 2 egg whites with 1 tbsp rose water just until frothy and loose, about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Stir the whites into the almonds a little at a time until you have a soft, sticky paste that holds its shape; you may not need quite all the white.
Step 4: Line two trays with baking paper. With damp hands, roll the paste into 20 small balls and set them 4 cm apart. Press a few pieces of 2 tbsp pistachios into the top of each.
Step 5: Leave uncovered for 20 minutes to form a skin. Meanwhile heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan).
20 minStep 6: Bake for 14–16 minutes, until the cookies are cracked on top, lightly golden at the edges and still soft in the middle when pressed.
15 minStep 7: Cool on the trays, as they firm up as they cool. Dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar if you like and store airtight for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nan-e badami take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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