Delicate, melt-in-your-mouth Persian cookies made from roasted chickpea flour, rosewater and cardamom, a Nowruz favorite.
Nan-e nokhodchi are small clover-shaped cookies made almost entirely from roasted chickpea flour, a naturally gluten-free base that gives them their distinctive delicate, crumbly texture that dissolves almost instantly on the tongue. Ground cardamom and rosewater are the defining aromatics, mixed into the dough along with just enough oil and sugar to bind everything into a workable paste that's pressed into small decorative shapes rather than rolled and cut. Baked very briefly at a low temperature, these cookies should never brown — they're meant to stay pale and remain almost powdery in texture, traditionally made in large batches for Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebration.
Serves 8
Toast the chickpea flour in a dry skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly darkened.
Toast the flour low and slow, stirring constantly — it can scorch quickly and any burnt flour will taste bitter in the finished cookies.
Let the toasted flour cool completely to room temperature.
Mix the cooled flour with powdered sugar, oil, cardamom and rosewater into a soft, slightly crumbly dough.
Let the dough rest 15 minutes to firm up slightly.
Press small portions of dough into a clover-shaped mold, or simply shape by hand into small rounds, pressing a bit of crushed pistachio into the top of each.
Bake at 150C/300F for 12-15 minutes — the cookies should remain pale, not browned.
Let cool completely on the tray before handling, since the cookies are very fragile while warm.
Toast the chickpea flour thoroughly and evenly — this step removes its raw, slightly bitter taste and develops a nutty aroma essential to the cookie's flavor.
Let the cookies cool completely on the tray before moving them; they're extremely delicate and fragile while still warm.
Bake at a low temperature and watch closely — these cookies should never brown, staying pale throughout baking.
Some versions use almond flour blended with chickpea flour for a slightly different texture.
A saffron version adds bloomed saffron to the dough for a golden hue and floral note.
These cookies are traditionally shaped with a special clover-pattern mold, though hand-shaping into simple rounds works fine too.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks; handle gently since the cookies remain quite delicate even once fully cooled.
Nan-e nokhodchi is a traditional Nowruz cookie in Iran, part of the assortment of sweets prepared for the Persian New Year celebration, its use of chickpea flour reflecting a long history of legume-based baking in Persian cuisine.
You should still toast it, even if pre-ground, since raw chickpea flour has a distinctly bitter, beany taste that toasting resolves.
Simply shape the dough into small rounds by hand and press a pistachio piece on top — the shape doesn't affect the flavor.
They're naturally delicate — handle them gently and make sure they've cooled completely before attempting to move them from the tray.
Per serving (50g / 1.8 oz) · 8 servings total
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