Rasmalai cookies

I make these with a regular brown-butter cookie dough and a wide, shallow well. The saffron milk filling goes in once the cookies have cooled, with pistachios on top. The dough has no egg; the cornflour is only in the filling.

Method

1. Make the filling. Set aside 30 ml of the cold milk. Simmer the remaining 130 ml with the saffron and cardamom in a small pan, stirring often, until reduced to about 105 ml. Whisk the reserved milk with the cornflour and milk powder until smooth.
2. Stir the condensed milk and salt into the reduced milk, then whisk in the slurry. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling; cook for another 60–90 seconds. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter. Let it cool slightly, then add the rose water. Taste and add a little sugar if you want it sweeter. Cover with wrap touching the surface and refrigerate until cold and set, ideally overnight.
3. Make the dough. Brown the butter over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. Pour it into a bowl with the browned bits and let it cool until lukewarm. Mix in both sugars, then the milk and rose water. In another bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture just until combined. Chill for 45–60 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays. Divide the dough into 12 portions of about 45 g each. Roll them into balls, flatten slightly, and set them well apart on the trays. Press a wide, shallow well into each with the back of a measuring spoon.
5. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden. Check the first tray early, as the dough can dry out if overbaked. As soon as the cookies come out, gently press the wells back down while they are still soft. Leave on the trays for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.
6. Stir the chilled filling briefly to make it smooth. Spoon about 12–15 g into each well, smooth it with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Fill close to serving and keep assembled cookies in the fridge.

Notes

If the dough feels too dry to hold together, mix in milk 1 tsp at a time. Make the wells wide rather than deep so each bite has both cookie and filling.