Zeera biscuits are also called Jeera, as jeera/zeera is the name for cumin and these biscuits are made with, obviously, cumin. It is my version of a Pakistani recipe. There are versions with egg and some are without the egg, as I wanted to make my biscuits vegan, I’ve tried a egg-less version. Unlike most dessert recipes, where I use a smaller amount of sugar, for these I used more. Next time I’m doing these I will add even more, as 50g doesn’t make them sweet enough, next time I’ll add 60 or 70 grams. It might be due to the flavour of cumin, which is savoury, at least for our European palate.

Because I had some cute crystal sugar, I’ve used it to decorate half of the biscuits and they turned out so lovely. Also, I need to emphasize that the cumin seeds need to be dry roasted a bit before using them in the biscuits, to release their flavour. It doesn’t take long, so do that.

Ingredients for Zeera biscuits:

– 150g plain flour
– 70g margarine
– 50g sugar
– 1 tsp cumin seeds
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 3 spoons soy milk
– crystal sugar for decor (optional)

Start by heating a pan and toss in the cumin seeds. Stir regularly so they roast evenly, keep them on the hob, at medium heat, for about 3 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the margarine and mix until it forms a dough. Add the milk gradually to see how much of it is needed. I’ve used all of it.

Pre-heat the oven at 180C. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut the biscuits and transfer them on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper. Put the tray in the oven and leave the biscuits for bake for 10 minutes. Keep them a bit more if you want more crispy biscuits.

Transfer the zeera biscuits on a wire rack to cool. You can store them in an airtight container for a few days, if you manage to keep them for so long.