In a mixer, grind the sugar to make powdered sugar. If you have powder/confectionary sugar in hand, you could skip this step and use that.

Chop the nuts (if using) into small pieces and keep aside for garnish.

Also, remove the seeds from the cardamom and pound it to form a powder. Mix it with the sugar.

To this add the flours and sooji and mix well. Also, add the baking powder to this mixture and mix well.

Melt the ghee and add it slowly to the flour/sugar mixture and mix well. Do not pour the whole ghee, add it little by little and mix to form a soft dough. We might not need the whole ghee. Wrap the dough and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease/line baking sheets with parchment.

Make about 18 balls from the dough and flatten them slightly. Place them an inch apart in the baking tray.

Make a criss-cross pattern on top of the cookies and add some chopped nuts.

Bake them for 13 – 15 minutes or until the cookies are pale brown in color.

Remove them from the sheets and cool on racks entirely before storing them in airtight containers.