Sweet Mathri Recipe
Sweet mathri is a crisp, flaky Indian snack, lightly sweetened with jaggery and flavored with fragrant fennel. Baked instead of fried, these little treats are easy to make and lovely with a cup of chai.
Like my easy baked mathri, these sweet mathris are made in the oven and have a wonderful light and crumbly texture. They're just sweet enough, with jaggery adding a depth of flavor. Make a batch for festive gifting, snacking, or simply enjoy with your evening tea.
Love tea time snacks? Then you must try my cardamom pistachio madeleines, sweet potato crackers, and cheese crackers with carom seeds.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. There is no tricky jaggery syrup to fuss over. Just melt the jaggery, mix it into the dough, roll, cut, and bake!
- Lightly sweet. These aren't overly sugary cookies. Jaggery gives them a light sweetness, while fennel adds a warm and aromatic note.
- Crispy and flaky. These sweet mathris bake up crisp on the outside and light and flaky on the inside.
- Great for making ahead. These baked sweet mathris keep well in an airtight container, making them ideal for snacking and festive gifting.
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: I use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. All-purpose flour keeps the mathri light and crisp while the whole wheat flour adds a little heartiness and nuttiness. You can add semolina for extra crunch.
Jaggery: Jaggery gives these mathris a gentle, caramel-like sweetness. Use finely grated or powdered jaggery so it melts easily into the syrup.
Fat: For this sweet mathri recipe, I use a combination of oil and ghee (clarified butter). Ghee adds richness and gives the mathri its flaky texture.
Fennel seeds: They give the sweet mathri their signature warm, slightly sweet aroma. Lightly crush the seeds before adding them if you want the flavor to spread more evenly through the dough.
Sesame seeds: They add a lovely little crunch.
Please see the recipe card below for detailed information about the ingredients and their quantities.
How To Make Sweet Mathri
Step 1: In a small saucepan, combine jaggery and water. Heat till the jaggery melts. Let the syrup cool down to room temperature.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds.
Step 3: Add the oil and ghee and rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and starts clumping together.
Step 4: Add melted jaggery syrup and bring everything together to form the dough. There is no need to knead it. The mathri dough is not soft. It has to be pliable but tight.
Step 5: Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Divide the dough into two. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thickness. Prick the rolled-out dough using a fork.
Step 7: Cut into any shape you like using a knife or pastry cutter, or use a cookie-cutter.
Step 8: Place the mathri on the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden in color.
Step 9: Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
How To Serve
Sweet mathri pairs beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee. Add it to a festive snack platter alongside nankhatai and besan ladoo or pack a few in a jar for homemade gifting.
Recipe FAQs
Can I deep fry the sweet mathris?
Yes, you can use the same dough to deep-fry the sweet mathris instead of baking them.
Can I make sweet mathri vegan?
Yes, leave out the ghee and use oil instead.
Can I use another sweetener?
Yes, you can use regular white sugar, coconut sugar, or palm sugar. The flavor will be slightly different, though.
How do I store sweet mathri?
Let the mathri cool completely, then store in an airtight container. These will keep well for 2-3 weeks.
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Recipe
Sweet Mathri Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole wheat flour
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp Fennel seeds/ saunf
- 1.5 tsp Sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
Jaggery syrup
- 3 tbsp Jaggery powder You can add more if you want the mathri sweeter.
- 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine jaggery and water. Heat till the jaggery melts. Let the syrup cool down to room temperature.3 tbsp Jaggery powder, 1/4 cup Water
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl – all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds. 1 cup Wholewheat flour, 1 cup All-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp Fennel seeds/ saunf,1.5 tsp Sesame seeds
- Add the oil and ghee and rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and starts clumping together. 3 tbsp Oil, 1 tbsp Ghee
- Add melted jaggery syrup and bring everything together to form the dough.
- Mix the dough with your hands until it starts coming together.
- There is no need to knead it. The mathri dough is not soft. It has to be pliable but tight.Â
- Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line a baking tray with Silpat or parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into two. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thickness.
- Prick the rolled-out dough using a fork.Â
- Cut into any shape you like using a knife or pizza-cutter or use a cookie-cutter.
- Place on the prepared tray and bake at 180 C/ 350 F for 20-25 minutes until light golden in color.
- Cool completely and store in air-tight container. Enjoy!
Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This must be so delicious!!! It slightly reminds me of thekua.
Natasha Author
Oh I love thekua in all its deep-fried glory! You're right, this is a bit similar. xx