Were you expecting another peanut butter cookie for today? Well you might have been lucky, only I decided it would be stretching little too far if I do it. It's one thing to be osterized as a chocoholic. at least I have my kids as company. But completely different if I get tagged as Peanut Butter fanatic! Even if I happen to love peanuts to death.
So after reacting to the reception my PB Cookies seem to get, I decided I would better pull up another one fast! So you have hot Karachi Style Bakery Biscuits right out of the oven on time. My initial list had this listed and somehow when I saw the time flying, I felt I wouldn't be able to make it on time. However there is nothing like the fear of being shunned on things beyond your means.
Coming to the Karachi Style Bakery Biscuits, I have a tale behind it. We always have a tale to tell behind everything right, else it doesn't become interesting enough to blog. Anyway I first tasted these couple of years ago, when Hubby dear started touring Hyderabad. I might have eaten this as a kid, I have no knowledge of that. And I have eaten other Bakery Biscuits as well.
Try these Nei biscuits as well
The best Bakery biscuit that I have on the blog comes out great every time I bake. Infact Amma loves it so much, that it's one of those recipes that I actually repeat. Else there is no repeat in a blogger's life. I sometimes wonder how much our thinking, our families are vested on our blogs. Anyway till the time the families are kept happy with content stream of dishes that get cooked for the blog, I have no complaints.
Osmania Biscuits as its called in Karachi Bakery are thick, fluffy with mild sweet, leaving behind a lingering salty taste after eating it. Ever since he started getting these biscuits, I have been wanting to replicate it at home. Along with these he also gets Eggless Chocolate Muffins, Eggless Choclate cookies. So all the chocolates are completed before we can even count. These Butter biscuits are not touched.
I asked around few people and searched the net as well. I finally felt I might adapt this recipe and agreed at a recipe quickly. As with anything I was having a scientific approach to the entire process of baking this biscuit. When we do not have a proper recipe on hand, you will have to remember the taste, texture and the after effect, to recreate. And that's exactly what I did.
The Osmania Biscuits are thick, soft flour on top, inner will be sort of crispy and leaves you with a salty taste. The sweet is very mild and when you dip into your tea, you feel so full!
So the milk powder and custard powder used will make sure the soft and crispy texture is given. When you cream cold butter with powdered sugar, fat encloses the sugar and when aerated with baking powder, it expands up. No bakery will bake without the Shortening, so I used a tablespoon of dalda. And finally for the lingering after effect of salt, I sprinkled salt over the biscuits before baking. I was planning to do a mix of powdered sugar and salt sprinkle. Forgot the sugar in the last moment.
I only used 1 tbsp of milk, and the dough was crumbly, can increase to another 1/2 tbsp and experiment next time. Another mistake I did was baking for extra 5 mins. At 185 C, 15 mins, the cookies were very soft to touch and though I was thinking it should be fine when it cools, the fact that it was 11 pm at night, made it put it back for another 5 mins.
Another thing to consider is to refrigerate for a while and slice it down. That should also give good result.
Nevertheless, the biscuits came out awesome. These tastes almost exactly like those from the Bakery and I am planning to try again what I have observed and will update!
Check out the other Bakery style cookies on the blog
Basic Bakery Biscuits
Iyengar Bakery Khara Biscuit
Jeera Biscuits
Butter Cookies
Karachi Style Osmania Bakery Biscuits
Ingredients Needed
All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Dalda/ Vanaspati - 1 tbsp
Sugar powder - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Custard powder - 1 tbsp
Milk powder - 1 tbsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp (didn't add)
Milk - 1 tbsp
Salt for sprinkling finally (can mix with powdered sugar as well)
How to make Osmania Biscuits
Powder sugar and measure out 1/2 cup.
Cream butter in a mixing bowl, add sugar and continue creaming. Add custard powder, milk powder and combine well.
Add the baking powder as well. Now slowly add the flour and mix. Add the dalda and knead well to get a dough.
The dough will be crumbly, slowly add milk and check if the dough holds. I added 1 tbsp, I felt I could have added 1/2 tbsp more.
Pre heat the oven at 185 C and pinch out balls, flatten and place with enough space on a greased baking tray. Bake for 15 mins
Rest to cool the biscuits down.
Notes
You can add saffron to this dough and do a milk wash on top once you place the cookies for baking. Sprinkling the salt, sugar after milk wash will also result in a lasting salty taste.
I mistakenly baked for 5 mins more and my cookies were crispy and not buttery soft as baked for lesser time.
Also if you want you can roll, wrap and refrigerate for 10 mins and slice down equal sized cookies.
Will be making all these changes and bake again.
Recipe
Osmania Biscuits | How to make Karachi Style Bakery Biscuits
Tried this recipe?Mention @spicingyourlife_ or tag #spicingyourlife_!
Rajani S says
You nailed it Valli. No repetition in a blogger's kitchen :-))). That is really true!! Anyway nice to see the biscuits, even I got introduced to them a couple of years back at my brotherr's place. They are addictive.
Usha says
For some strange reason I do not remember eating these cookies growing up, though I love Karachi bakery cookies. Few months ago when I saw someone post these biscuits that I made it a point to taste these during my last visit to India.
It is always nice to have a tale , insignificant it might be. I enjoying reading takes in the write ups before getting to the recipe. Anyway, The biscuits have turned out great
Kalyani says
Looks so inviting ! These biscuits r my handy pack whenever someone visits Hyderabad !!
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
You surely have excelled the art of writing... Such a beautiful written post...
Delicious and tempting biscuits
Suma Gandlur says
These cookies are very addictive Valli. Seems like you have nailed them.
Priya Srinivasan says
we always get our share when madhavi visits her mother's place and also hubby has a colleague from hyd. These are really addictive, the moment you gobble one, you feel like having another!!
I always love the science you explain valli!! I think i should read more on that science part!!! 🙂
Srividhya says
delicious biscuits. Never tried this before
Nalini's Kitchen says
Delicious cookies Valli,I have tasted this biscuits from Karachi bakery.. We have a friend from Hyd.who get these cookies...
The Pumpkin Farm says
my first job related and official tour was to hyderabad, it was there that i was introduced to these biscuits and almost instantaneously fell in love with it...i am skeptical about dalda/vanaspati as i tend to infect my throat and lungs or so i think, but i think that is the way to get the crispy texture within...they have come out very well
Gayathri Kumar says
Yes, even if I look back, I do feel that I haven't repeated any of my recipes. It is always once in a life time in blogger's life and that is the fate for our families too. I have heard a lot about karachi biscuits but haven't tasted them. These cookies look so delicious...
Priya Suresh says
I can munch this biscuits without any guilt, send me some..
Varadas Kitchen says
I have tasted biscuits that fit your description years back. Hats off to you for trying to recreate that taste. They look awesome!
Pavani N says
Amazing post Valli. Loved reading through what was going on in your mind before baking these baruties -- you are like a mad food scientist. Do you even think out loud? Just kidding 🙂
Perfectly made Karachi bakery cookies.. I would definitely try these out at home.
Kalyani says
yummmm bakery style biscuits.. reminds me of hyderabad days...
Padmajha PJ says
Enjoyed reading the post Srivalli.We bloggers hardly repeat dishes!!! And yes, these biscuits are really addictive with the nice texture and delicious flavor..
vaishali sabnani says
Ha ha enjoyed the post thoroughly, what an art to put down your thoughts:))
Now i am hearing so much about these cookies I have to taste. One from Karachi Bakery and one batch from Vallis bakery!
Harini-Jaya R says
Awesome looking and addictive cookies, Valli.
sneha datar says
These are looking so awesome.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
You are so right Valli! When I go back to revisit some of my recipes, I think how I never repeat any dish. We have to say our family's are lucky 🙂 Coming to the cookie, this looks so good! I have personally not tasted it, but love the way you have described it. I am going to be bookmarking this to try 🙂
Archana Potdar says
Shhh! If I repeat a recipe what kind of a blogger am I? When will I get to try the other thousands of recipes floating around?
Love these cookies Valli. Must try these out.
Saraswathi Tharagaram says
Really addictive cookies!! Love to snack them any time..
Ruchi Indu says
I have also bookmarked this recipe from vahrevah site. These cookies should definitely be delicious
K R Shariff Shariff says
Yes i agree Karachi bakery biscuits are good and tasty and have a good name also now in hyderbad.
But the Biscuits of the Subhan bakery are equally good or better than karachi biscuits.
I have been eating These biscuits since my child hood,
Subhan bakery is located behind nampally station near the Yousain dargah.