For Tracy Jose and her family, teatime without snacks to munch on borders on sacrilege. In recent years, she has made a conscious effort to bring local and seasonal ingredients into her home-baking. Her first encounter with dried Mahua flowers came through The Locavore’s story on Wild Harvest, which sparked her curiosity about the ingredient’s complex flavour and the community-driven, sustainable practices behind it.
Intrigued, Tracy began experimenting with Mahua flowers. She discovered they carry floral, fruity, smoky, and faintly bitter notes when raw, taking on a beautifully caramelised texture once baked. When she couldn’t find a recipe for wholewheat Mahua cookies, she created her own—pairing the flowers with cardamom for balance. Tracy suggests adding sesame seeds or grated coconut for variation, and recommends these cookies to anyone who enjoys the chewy raisins but prefers just a hint of sweetness.
| Dried Mahua flowers | 25 grams | ¼ cup |
|---|---|
| Hot water | ½ cup |
| Cashewnuts | 14 grams | 2 tablespoons |
| White and brown sugar (mixed) | ¼ cup |
| Unsalted butter (softened) | 50 grams | ¼ cup approx. |
| Powdered cardamom | ½ teaspoon |
| Milk powder | 1 tablespoon |
| Wholewheat flour | ½ cup |
| Salt | a pinch / to taste |
| Baking soda | a pinch |
Mixing bowl; Hand whisk or spatula; Fine sieve (for the dry ingredients); Rolling pin; Parchment paper (2 sheets); Cookie cutter or knife (for shaping); Baking tray; Oven; Cooling rack
Begin by soaking the dried Mahua flowers in half a cup of hot water for about 20minutes, until softened.
Meanwhile, powder the cashewnuts and the sugars together until you have a fine, even mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with the cashew-sugar powder, mixing until smooth and well incorporated.
Drain the Mahua flowers completely. Finely chop them—avoid blending, as this will make the mixture too mushy and affect the final texture. Add the chopped flowers to the butter-and-cashew mixture, folding them in gently.
Sift in the remaining dry ingredients: powdered cardamom, milk powder, wholewheat flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix everything together to form a soft dough.
Shape the dough into a flat disc. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about a ¼-inch thickness.
Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the dough into desired shapes.
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Place the shaped pieces of cookie dough on a baking tray and bake for 16-18 minutes. Halfway through baking, rotate the tray to ensure the cookies brown evenly.
Once baked, allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack. Store them in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Use butter at room temperature so that it mixes smoothly with the cashew-sugar mixture. Cold butter can make the dough uneven.
Formerly an Assistant Professor of English, Tracy Jose( @the_crmdgn) is deeply passionate about history, food history, and politics. She loves travelling and exploring new food cultures.
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