SUJI COOKIES

      School days & School bus hold quite a lot of memories to me.  Even my final year of schooling and the school bus holds a life-changing story. But this write-up is all about the memory of goodies or the so-called Bakery favourites, so synonymous to those days.

    Every evening after school, I used to come back home by School Bus.  The routine happened until I finished my Secondary School.  It was a routine that my brother & I followed which has loads of trailing nostalgic memories.  My mom meticulously walks all the way to the Bus stop(which was just a street away from our house) to pick us up. The highlight of this story is the Bakery(Krishna Bakery) in the Bus Stop. Most of the days she would cook some Snacks for us, but even then my Brother would ask whether he can buy something from the Bakery.  The time would be so apt that the Bakery would be stacking up with fresh & hot bakes(right from the oven) which would equally appeal to my mother.    

    Each day we would buy something like Puffs, Cakes, Coconut Bun, freshly baked hot Milk Bread etc.,  I have always loved their variety of Cookies(Butter Biscuit, Coconut Biscuit, Salt Biscuit etc., & etc.,).  When I started baking I had always wanted to replicate those cookies rather than anything else.  Mainly my favourite were those cube-shaped Butter Biscuits - white, soft with a melt-in-mouth texture.    

    But when I tasted a similar Cookie from a local Bakery in JB, I instantly fell in love with it.  And  they were sold in the name of Suji cookies. Suji Cookies with variations like Cashew Suji Cookies, Almond Suji Cookies and plain Suji Cookies.  Then my next step began by searching for the recipe.  To my dismay, I never found any Suji in the ingredient list/(Suji in Hindi means Semolina), which made me search and research to find a perfect recipe.  This recipe is adapted from a Singapore based Travel & Food Blog Miss Tham Chiak.  This Suji Cookies just nailed me down with its perfection. If the Cookie is prepared without any addition of Nuts, then it tasted quite similar to my favourite bakery-style Butter Biscuits. I have already published Cashew Suji Cookies, Almond Suji Cookies recipes earlier here in the blog.
     

SUJI COOKIES

    Suji Cookie is an easy make cookie recipe with simple ingredients. These Suji Cookies are an utter treat with a light, crumbly & melt-in-mouth texture.  And above all, it has a wonderful nutty aroma, which comes mainly from GHEE. Ghee makes a lot of difference in these cookies.  These are absolute festive favourites and also best suits to be served as a Tea Time Snack.  This is a remarkable cookie recipe - the one & only Suji Cookies, which is my benchmark when it comes to Bakery goodies. My ultimatum achieved in search of perfect Bakery style butter cookies alias Butter Biscuits.

     Please do read all the tips & tricks given under the "NOTES" section below for perfectly textured, round, white coloured Suji Cookies.


For more COOKIE RECIPES, Click here...

Recipe Type - Cookies, Snacks
Difficulty - Easy
Yields - 12 - 15 Cookies
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 10 -15 Minutes
Baking Time - 12- 15 Minutes for 1 Batch

HOW TO COOK SUJI COOKIES

SUJI COOKIES

For Suji Cookies:

All-purpose Flour - 220 Grams
Icing Sugar - 80 Grams
Salt - 1/4 Tspn
Unsalted Butter - 30 Grams
Ghee - 45 Grams

For a detailed Recipe on HOW TO MAKE GHEE, Click here...

For Toppings(Optional):

Cashew Nuts - 50 Grams(halved & toasted)
                         or
Glazed Cherries/Tutti Frutti - a few

METHOD:

For Suji Cookies:

• Preheat the oven at 160° Celsius for about 10 minutes.
• Sift the All-purpose Flour Sugar once & keep it aside.
  
• The Butter should be Cold.
• Let the Ghee be at room temperature.
  
• Sift the Icing Sugar once & keep it aside.
• Combine it with Butter & Ghee and beat it well in a hand mixer until creamy & combined.
• Add the All-purpose Flour Mixture to the Ghee-Butter mix.
• Gently mix it to form a soft dough.
• The texture of the dough should be firm so that you can shape it into balls.
• Otherwise, can leave it in the refrigerator for about an hour/freeze it for about 10-20 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough.
• Meanwhile, line up a baking tray with baking sheet/parchment paper.
• Scoop 1 Teaspoon of Suji Cookie Dough and shape it into a ball. 
• Arrange them 2 cm apart on the tray.
• Cookies will spread a little during baking but should retain the ball shape.
• Bake at 160° Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until firm and just mildly start to colour but should be white in colour.
• Allow Suji Cookies to cool completely.
• Store the Suji Cookies in an airtight container.
• Suji Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

SUJI COOKIES

NOTES:

• Use cold butter for the recipe.  Take it out from the refrigerator just before beating it.
• Let the Ghee be at room temperature.
  
• The texture of the dough should be firm so that you can shape it into balls.
• The Climatic condition of the region you live also affects the firmness of the dough.
• You can leave the dough in the refrigerator in between to get the desired firmness.
• Otherwise, can leave it in the refrigerator for about an hour or freeze it for about 10-20 minutes or until the dough is firm enough. 
• This will help prevent the cookies from spreading – they’ll bake up thick and retain the ball shape. 
• If the dough is not firm enough the melted butter may turn the Cookies crunchy, which is not the needed texture of  these Suji Cookies.
  
• Can use the same recipe and make Cashew Suji Cookies or Almond Suji Cookies.
• If doing so, substitute 130 grams of All-purpose flour with Cashew Powder or Almond Powder.
• Ghee adds a wonderful flavour and gives a beautiful texture to the Suji Cookies.
• The Cookie dough should be soft and not crumbly.
• Can shape the Suji Cookies into Balls or into cube-shaped, or flatten it up slightly and make imprints with a fork over it.
• Can top it up with halved Cashew or glazed Cherries or Tutti Frutti pieces.
  
• Baking time totally depends on the type of Oven used.  Adjust accordingly. 
• Adjust the baking time  depending on the size of the Suji cookies.
• These are Small Suji Cookies of 1cm Diameter(before baking) & it took just 15 minutes of baking.
• Bake until firm and just mildly start to colour but should be white in colour.
• And the most important fact - take it out from the Oven when it starts to become firm but yet slightly under cooked(soft to touch), if you prefer a melt in mouth Suji Cookies.