Maida Biscuits | Crispy Homemade Flour Biscuits
Rate this recipe
Maida biscuits are a beloved South Indian sweet snack made from all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and butter. These delicate, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits have been a part of Tamil home kitchens for generations. Simple in their ingredients yet incredibly satisfying in taste, they represent the kind of humble, heartwarming cooking that Tamil grandmothers have always perfected. With a lightly crisp exterior and a tender, crumbly interior, these biscuits carry the warmth and love of traditional Tamil home baking in every single bite.
Tamil families absolutely adore these maida biscuits, especially during the festive season of Diwali. Every year as Diwali approaches, homes across Tamil Nadu and among Tamil communities worldwide fill with the sweet buttery aroma of freshly baked or fried biscuits. Mothers and grandmothers prepare large batches to share with neighbors, relatives, and friends as part of the Diwali snack boxes alongside murukku, ladoo, and other festive treats. Children eagerly wait to grab a handful the moment they come out of the kitchen, making this a recipe full of cherished family memories.
What makes this recipe truly special is how incredibly easy and beginner-friendly it is. You only need a handful of pantry staples that every Tamil kitchen already has. The key to getting perfectly crispy yet crumbly biscuits lies in not overworking the dough and ensuring the butter is soft at room temperature before mixing. Rolling the dough to an even thickness ensures uniform cooking. Whether you bake or fry them, these biscuits come out beautifully golden and absolutely irresistible every single time.
Ingredients
Instructions
💡 Tap a step to mark it doneTake 1 cup of maida in a large mixing bowl. Add a small pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to the flour. Mix all the dry ingredients together well using a spoon or your fingers so that everything is evenly combined before adding the butter.
Add 2 tablespoons of softened butter to the dry mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture gently. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and the butter is fully incorporated. This step is very important for getting that crumbly, melt-in-mouth texture.
Now add cold water little by little, one teaspoon at a time, and gently bring the dough together. Do not knead the dough like roti dough. Just bring it together softly until it forms a smooth, non-sticky ball. Using too much water or over-kneading will make the biscuits tough.
Wrap the dough in a clean cloth or plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. This resting time allows the gluten to relax and makes rolling much easier. Do not skip this step as it helps in getting perfectly shaped and evenly cooked biscuits.
After resting, place the dough on a clean flat surface lightly dusted with maida. Roll it out gently using a rolling pin to about 4 to 5 mm thickness. Make sure the thickness is even throughout so that all biscuits cook uniformly without some being raw in the center.
Using a round cookie cutter, a small steel glass, or any shaped cutter you prefer, cut out biscuit shapes from the rolled dough. Collect the leftover dough scraps, gently re-roll, and cut again until all the dough is used up. Prick each biscuit lightly with a fork to prevent puffing during cooking.
For baking method: Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the biscuits with a little space between them. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden. Keep a close eye after 12 minutes as they can brown quickly.
For frying method: Heat oil in a wide kadai on low to medium-low flame. The oil should not be too hot. Gently slide in a few biscuits at a time and fry on low flame, turning occasionally, until they turn light golden and crisp all over. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes per batch on low heat.
Once done, remove the biscuits carefully and place them on a plate lined with kitchen tissue to absorb any excess oil if fried. Allow them to cool completely at room temperature. They will continue to firm up and become crispier as they cool, so do not judge the texture while they are still warm.
Once fully cooled, store the maida biscuits in an airtight container. They stay fresh and crispy for up to 10 days at room temperature. Serve them as a festive Diwali snack alongside a cup of hot chai or coffee and enjoy the smiles they bring to your family.
Tips and Tricks
- Always use softened butter at room temperature, not melted butter. Melted butter will change the texture and make the dough too soft, resulting in flat biscuits that do not hold their shape well.
- If frying, always fry on low to medium-low flame. High heat will brown the outside quickly while leaving the inside raw and doughy. Low and slow frying gives you evenly cooked, crispy biscuits throughout.
- For extra flavour, you can add a pinch of cardamom powder or a few drops of vanilla essence to the dough. This gives the biscuits a lovely festive aroma that makes them even more special during Diwali.
⚠️ Nutrition values could not be verified for this recipe. Please check manually.