Think of thandai—a popular drink at Holi celebrations in northern India—as a lightly floral spiced milk punch. In this recipe from her book Mumbai Modern, author Amisha Dodhia Gurbani mixes some of the rosy, nutty masala used for thandai into tender-crisp butter cookies, where its flavor blooms in the heat of the oven. Use leftover thandai masala to flavor hot chocolate, eggnog, or apple pie, or to sprinkle over your morning oatmeal or yogurt.
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What you’ll need
Electric Mixer
$40 At Amazon
Round Cookie Cutter Set, 12-Pack
$13 $10 At Amazon
Spice Mill
$60 $50 At Kitchen Aid
Rolling Pin
$13 At Amazon
Heatproof Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 30
Ingredients
Thandai Masala
½
1
5
2
1
1½
¼
⅛
⅛
1
1
1
1
Cookies and Assembly
10
½
1½
1½
½
1
1
¼
1
Special Equipment
Preparation
Thandai Masala
Step 1
Finely grind star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, rose petals, fennel seeds, nutmeg, peppercorns, and saffron in spice mill to a powder. Transfer spice mixture to a small bowl.
Step 2
Working in batches if needed, finely grind almonds, poppy seeds, cashews, and pistachios in spice mill (but not so finely ground that the nuts turn to butter). Whisk nut mixture into spice mixture until well combined.
Do Ahead: Thandai masala can be made 3 weeks ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
Cookies and Assembly
Step 3
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, salt, and 5 Tbsp. (35 g) thandai masala and beat on low speed until just combined. Pat dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
Step 4
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ¼" thick. Transfer dough, still sandwiched between parchment, to a baking sheet and freeze until just firm, 10–15 minutes.
Step 5
Slide dough onto a surface and carefully peel away top sheet of parchment. Punch out cookies as close together as possible with cutter and divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1½" apart.
Step 6
Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until golden, 14–16 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely; reserve baking sheets with parchment. Repeat process with dough scraps (chill dough again before punching out more cookies).
Step 7
Melt white chocolate and oil in a small heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring occasionally, until glossy and smooth. (Alternatively, melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each, about 1 minute total.)
Step 8
Dip one third of each cookie into white chocolate and transfer to reserved baking sheets. Scatter pistachios and rose petals over white chocolate. Freeze cookies until chocolate is set, about 5 minutes.
Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 week ahead; keep chilled. Cookies can be baked (but not glazed) 10 days ahead or glazed 2 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature.
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Reviews (22)
Back to TopI have made these exactly by the recipe twice, with great success. I trialed them with my Christmas cookies gifts last year, got great reviews, then made a quadruple recipe this year. They are a lot of work, took an entire day, but are absolutely worth it. I had no trouble getting the dough together in the mixer, even in our cold, very dry winter mountain climate. Delicious and elegant!
Jeanne
Cocolalla, Idaho
12/5/2022
This recipe needs an adjustment. Despite that- the cookies are amazing!! I made it from the magazine (yes- old school) and came to this site to read reviews when the dough just wouldn't come together. This recipe needs an adjustment. I, like many others, wound up adding a bit of liquid/fat. I used about 2 Tbsp of light cream and just worked it into the dough. It was just enough to moisten it so it would come together. Once that was done - piece of cake. Great flavor and they're beautiful. I used a heart shaped cut out. I used the extra spice mix in homemade granola with tart cherries. OMG - decadent!
SNVRivergirl
Boston, MA
1/10/2022
I used Dark chocolate to dip as I’m not a fan of white chocolate. Also I could tell the dough was too crumbly having made similar types of cookies. I added all the spice mixture and 3 Tblsps butter and it worked fine. Quite yummy!
Sally R
Philmont, NY
12/25/2021
Made the Thandai Masala on Friday night and the cookies on Saturday last week - letting the flavors meld and dipping them in white chocolate today. The dough came together for me without issue - but I think it was more humid last weekend. Yesterday, none of my doughs worked - even ones I've made before were all too dry and would not come together until I added liquid. These cookies smell fantastic - I can't wait to serve them tonight! I changed up the shape and opted to make teardrop cookies instead - I thought they would look really pretty with the white chocolate and chopped pistachios and rose petals. One thing I would say is - watch your cookies closely - my first batch ended up being a little too toasty. They still were really good/not burnt tasting - but the pale color looks better with the white chocolate.
Dawn Land
Old Brookville, NY
12/24/2021
I made these for after dinner dessert - I can't remember the last time I got such rave reviews. I tried a cookie without the white chocolate and was a bit dissapointed in the flavor - for some reason the white chocolate really made the cookie sing. The dough was very crumbly and fell apart when I tried to roll it out. I melted 2 tablespoons of butter to try to bring the dough together. Still a bit difficult to roll out but ultimately it worked. Freezing the dough for about 10 minutes after cutting out the circles helped the cookies retain their shape. I found this cookie a bit daunting with the number of ingredients and the numberr of steps but if you want a bit of a show stopper, I think they are worth it.
Julee
Seattle, WA
12/13/2021
The dough smells incredible, but it will NOT stick together. I followed every step. It’s too dry. I had to add a couple tablespoons of milk. After adding the milk and baking, I have tasty cookies!
Lindsay
Sacramento, CA
12/11/2021
They look beautiful and the ingredients tell me they are delicious. I am anxious to make them.
Helene, the adaptor.
Milford, CT
12/9/2021