Punjabi Atta Biscuits With Jaggery: Organic Whole Wheat Cookies Without Baking Powder, Soda

Get the cookie confidence with me!! Travel the journey of organic, chemical-free baking without baking powder, soda with me.

If you think of biscuits, you are almost certain to travel back in time to your childhood. Like me, you, too, have some fond "atta biscuit" memories, right? My atta biscuit nostalgia reminds me of my childhood when I would visit my mama (maternal uncle) and he would order a batch of whole wheat cookies from a local baker.
The biscuits were then packed in a newspaper and I would indulge in them the most. In fact, we all fell in love with these typical atta biscuits and would bring tins of the same back home. What was so special about these biscuits with whole wheat flour was a hint of black cardamom powder that lent these a distinct flavor. I have grown up now - almost into my 30s, but my love for these nostalgic cookies remains the same.

no raising agent recipe of atta biscuits with jaggery

After I started baking cookies at home, these atta biscuits have been on my mind, but I did not have the right equipment to give the biscuits their distinct shape, which makes these stand out from the rest.  My hubby ordered a cookie press for me so I can recreate my favorite atta biscuits at home. So here I come with my childhood favorites, though with my own healthy version - with a dash of oats and a hint of big cardamom, low amount of saturated fat, and sweetened with jaggery :) Couldn't be happier with the results I have got for my favorite no raising agent Punjabi atta cookie recipe.

whole wheat biscuits sugarfree

How to make atta biscuits at home without oven

Since you have fond childhood memories of these atta biscuits with ghee, let's make the wheat cookie recipe simple by baking these on tawa, that is, without oven/convection - imitating those days when these appliances weren't available!

atta biscuit with jaggery: cookies without baking powder, soda

Ingredients

1 cup measures= 235 ml

1/2 cup- whole wheat flour
2 tbsp- oats powder
4 tbsp- organic jaggery powder
1-2 tbsp- milk (1 tbsp should be enough; but if your dough feels dry, you may add one more)
2 tbsp- homemade ghee (solid) - make ghee in only 5 minutes or check the video below
2 tbsp- oil (or ghee)
black cardamom powder for sprinkling on top

How to make atta biscuits with jaggery without baking powder, soda

Here's the LIVE DEMO of Punjabi atta biscuits

When using organic jaggery powder in cookies, make sure that you blitz it into the processor first so that there are no lumps. This will give you fine sand like jaggery powder, ensuring the jaggery doesn't ooze out of the cookies during the baking process.

cookie press for atta biscuits

1. Sift whole wheat flour and oats powder 2-3 times.
2. Take a separate container. Add ghee, oil, and jaggery powder.
3. Start using your hands to mix and mash the jaggery-ghee mixture. This is the creaming process to form a smooth paste. 
4. Add milk and start the process of creaming again until everything looks well incorporated.
5. Now add the flours and rub into the creamed mixture.
6. Do not knead. Simply try to mix everything without kneading until no cracks are visible in the flour. It will be a loose dough. If it looks dry, add 1 tsp extra of milk here and mix.
7.  Take your cookie press and fill it with the dough. Use your preferred disc and dispense dough. The cookie might break since we are using oats. Top the cookies with b.cardamom powder for that Punjabi atta biscuit look.
8. I struggled hard initially. But then brainstorming helped me come up with a trick to use the cookie press. Simply place your fingers under the disc when the dough is dispensed and place it gently on a greased baking tray.  I will do a video on this soon.
9. Preheat the oven/convection to 170 degrees for 10 mts and airfryer for 5mins.
10. Bake your no raising agent atta biscuits bakery style for 8-10 mts. These will bake quickly so keep an eye on after 8 mins.
11. Do not touch the Punjabi atta biscuits with jaggery when the cookies without baking powder, soda are hot.

To bake atta biscuits at home without oven, take a cooker and spread a layer of sand or salt at the base. Top the sand layer with a stand or katori. Next place the baking tray on top of the stand. Remove the whistle (weight) and gasket and cover the cooker with lid. Bake for 5 mins first and check. Then bake for 3-5 mins more until done.

PS: I did not add baking powder and these are just perfect bites, but if you want these softer, you may add 1/2 tsp of b.powder.
You may skip oats and make these with whole wheat alone.
Using the cookie press will be tough for a first timer, but with practice, you will get better at it. This was my first attempt too.