HALWA COOKIES

• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon ghee

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 cup milk

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 large eggs

• 4 tablespoons sliced almonds

• 1 tablespoon crushed pistachios

Instructions: To make the halwa, in a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat, combine the ghee, whole-wheat flour, cardamom and ground black pepper. Stir constantly for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the flour turns a darker brown. Turn the heat down if the flour is darkening too quickly. At this point, the flour is very susceptible to burning, so turn the heat off if you walk away.

Add the sugar and milk and stir briskly to avoid lumps. The whole mixture will come together into a smooth mass. You could stop at this point and just enjoy the halwa (it’s best warm). Or proceed to make the cookies, in which case, set aside to cool completely.

After the mixture has cooled, mix in the eggs and baking powder with the halwa, either using a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer using the paddle. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookies and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking pan about an inch apart. At this point, you could refrigerate or freeze the cookie dough.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Press the sliced almonds on top of the cookies, flatten them slightly and place in the oven. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, then sprinkle the pistachios on top.

NOTES & VARIATIONS

• The best whole-wheat flour to use is roti flour (found at most Indian grocery stores) or whole-wheat pastry flour, which is much more finely ground than the usual whole-wheat flour.

• These cookies are slightly cakey. For a crisper version, bake them for another 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

• Halwa can mean completely different things in different cultures — even within India, there are a variety of halwas. This is perhaps the most common and basic preparation of one.

Makes 16 small cookies