RAWALPINDI: Having afternoon tea becomes a closely followed tradition in the winters, and is usually accompanied by various nuts, including almonds, pistachios and walnuts, which locals believe help keep them warm in the cold weather.

Nuts are used in many dishes which are made in the winters, especially in various desserts such as kheer, gajar ka halwa, panjeeri and barfi and bakeries across the city also start making cookies made from a mix of nuts.

New varieties of the cookies, and now cakes, have also been developed including honey nougats and almond macaroons.

Honey nougats, which are crispy cookies, are made from almond and pistachios which are mixed with honey and baked in whole wheat flour. The cookies are then garnished with almonds.

“We try to offer our customer something new, something other bakeries do not have and our chefs usually try to alter recipes from European and Arabian cuisines and give them a local twist,” said Mohammad Naveed, the manager at Tehzeeb Bakers.

He said that the chefs in the bakery use dates, almonds and other nuts along with nuts in the cookies and that they are also popular with more health conscious people.

“Almonds and other nuts improve cholesterol levels and people can have them without worry,” he said,

Mr Naveed added that many customers ask for nut-based cookies in the winters and that the bakery also makes almond nan khattai in the cold weather, which are very popular with residents of the city.

“I usually have the cookies with almonds with my afternoon tea or coffee. They are better to have than savoury snacks,” said a resident of Westridge, Taimoor Hassan.

Mr Hassan said his children did not like having nuts on their own which is why he buys cookies with nuts and honey, which he said make for a healthy snack.

Another resident of the city, Mehmood Ali said he prefers cookies which have oatmeal and nuts in the winters, and they are healthier and more delicious that those made from fine wheat flour.

He said people should try to have healthier options on an eatery’s menu and to go to food outlets which do not compromise on quality.

Nougats made of honey and nuts have always been popular with residents of the city, he said.

A customer at the bakery, Mujtaba Asghar said he buys whole wheat cookies and those with nuts.

“I try to avoid cookies made from fine wheat flour. Adding nuts to the cookies also helps with improving cholesterol levels,” he said.

Nutritionist Dr Tahir Sharif said people should consume almonds, pistachios, walnuts and other nuts but should be careful to not eat them in excess.

“Cookies are good, but they should be eaten in moderation, whether they have nuts or not. It is good or children but people with health problems and older people should be more careful with what they eat,” he said.

He said children should be given nuts and if they will not eat them on their own, they should be added to their desserts.

Published in Dawn February 13th, 2017