Lot of childhood memories are attached to these sweet cookies. I remember my mom making Shakarpara’s during Diwali. My mom starts preparing everything 2-3 weeks in advance. She makes meethi Shakarpare as well as the savory version that is namakpare. She even made matri’s, chakli’s, kachoris & gujiyas and mithai like lapsi – cracked wheat sweet. The entire house would smell so good all month long. We shared these snacks with our neighbors, close friends & family. And they would do the same. Anyone visiting us would get a big platter of homemade treats.
What is Shakarpara / Shankarpali ?
Shankarpali is a sweet deep fried Indian snack almost like a flaky cookie. They are crunchy from outside and tender on the inside. These crispy biscuits are mostly made during Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi or Ganesh Chaturti. Shakarpara is an addictive Indian tea time snack that is popular mainly in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Diwali is a major Indian festival where every Indian home makes several sweet and savory snacks. These snacks are then placed on a platter along with mithai (sweets) , dried fruits and nuts. As we have family and friends visiting us all day during Diwali week this platter comes really handy to entertain them over tea or coffee. Oh how I miss all this fun and energy when I am here in America!!!
So as Diwali is nearing I have started preparing these snacks at home. In fact my kids love these bite size cookies so I make them all year long. Instead of oreos or chocolate chip cookies my older one prefers shakarpara’s with a glass of milk. LOL he is very Desi. He calls it as sweet diamond biscuits. He even loves these Indian biscuits in his lunch box or as a after school snack. In short as gold fish crackers is to the western world Shankarpali is to India.
Shakarpara ingredients –
Make this Shakarpara recipe at home with handful of ingredients found in your pantry. Every Indian home has it’s own version of sweet Shankarpali recipe. Traditional one’s are made with maida, rawa, oil or ghee and milk or water. They are also known as maida biscuits or diamond cut biscuits. Then there are healthy versions using Wheat flour or besan . Today I am sharing Shankarpara recipe made with only 7 ingredients – Wheat flour , ghee , rawa ( semolina flour) cornstarch ( White corn flour) salt, water & sugar.
Why make this Shakarpara recipe?
Because it’s made with wheat flour instead of Maida ( all purpose flour). You can use jaggery instead of sugar. Make it healthier by baking Shakarpara ‘s instead of deep frying them.
Why do we love this Shankarpali recipe ?
It makes a great tea time snack. It’s not overly sweet like traditional cookies and are nut free too. My kids love them as a snack in their lunch box or as after school snack. It’s easy to make shakarpara at home and is cheap on the pocket. It makes great edible gifts for your friends and family on special occasions like Diwali and Christmas.
Step by step making of Shakarpara / Shankarpali recipe fried version –
In the meantime heat up oil in a frying pan. Slowly drop in the cut cookies in the hot oil. Fry it on low to medium heat moving the shakarparas with the slotted spoon every 5 seconds. Cook them until golden brown. Drain them gently on a absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Let it cool completely before storing.
Step by step making of Shakarpara / Shankarpali recipe baked version –
Yes, you can bake Shakarpara ‘s in an oven. These mini atta biscuits are so much better than the store ones. For this healthy biscuit recipe we are swapping maida for atta & sugar for jaggery (gur). I have added ghee in this version too. You may use melted butter or oil. There is a slight difference between the ingredients when you bake these Indian cookies. You will have to add some baking powder and increase the amount of ghee too.
Roll the dough to desired thickness. I like it thick just like we make parathas. The final outcome highly depends on the way you have rolled the dough. Roll it thin and you have very crunchy biscuits. Roll it thick and you have tender biscuits. Pre heat oven to 375 deg F. Line a baking tray with the diamond cut biscuits. Do not overlap them. Cook for 9-12 minutes until the edges start to brown. My cookies were done in 9 minute. They will continue to cook after baking with residual heat. Over baking will simply harden them.
Resulting into crispy guilt free snack for you and your kids. I like to keep them in a zip lock bag and take it along as a snack for my toddler in the car, park or at the grocery store. Note- Baked Shakarpara is lighter in color as compared to the fried ones.
Expert tips for making the Best Shankarpali recipe –
Sugar needs to melt completely before making the dough. Use already melted ghee or else your measurement will be off. Fry Shakarpara’s between medium to low flame for them to cook evenly from outside and inside. Shankarpali’s will firm after cooling down. For baked Shakarpara’s , bake them until the edges are golden brown. They will continue to cook after baking with residual heat. Over baking will harden them. They will firm up once cooled. For flaky melt in mouth Shakarpara it’s important to rest the dough for at least 15 minutes in the fridge. Thinly rolled dough will yield more crispy and less flaky or tender shakarpara’s.
Other easy Indian snack recipes that you must try-
How to make Indian savory pancakes like a pro Lapsi – cracked wheat sweet How to make chakli crispy Achari Paneer Braided Puff Pastry Aloo tikki burger Quinoa Paneer Patties Leftover rice vadas Are we friends yet? Let’s connect on- Facebook| Instagram | Pintrest | Twitter Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for latest recipes and updates. Pin it for future reference. What do you think about this healthy recipe? Do give it a star rating and leave a comment below.
How to make Shankarpali / Shakarpara recipe –
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