Chai cookies are soft, thick and chewy sugar cookies made with nutty brown butter and warm chai spice. These chai sugar cookies are rolled in a chai spiced sugar coating can be topped with a chai glaze. They’re an easy to make cozy cookie that’s perfect for fall.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft, chewy and cozy spiced cookie. My Maple Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cookies and Chewy Molasses Cookies, Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies are just a few cookie recipes I love from the blog. I know you’ll love these chai spiced sugar cookies because:
- Layers of cozy flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy sugar cookie made with nutty brown butter and cozy chai spices to the crunchy spiced sugar coating these chai spiced sugar cookies will delight your senses.
- The perfect cookie for fall. These chai tea cookies have all the coziest flavors to warm you up when the weather gets cool. Put on your favorite Taylor Swift album, brew a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy a few of these chewy, perfectly spiced sugar cookies.
Ingredients
This chai cookie recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
Chai Spice Blend
Gather ground cinnamon, ginger, all spice, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves.
Chai Cookies
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, chai spices, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather melted and cooled brown butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg and egg yolks and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these Taylor Swift inspired cookies if you need them.
- Chai Spice Blend: This blend calls for ground cinnamon, ginger, all spice, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. If you are missing more than one of these ground spices, I recommend using a premade chai spice blend you like. This sugar cookie with chai spice recipe calls for slightly over 2 tablespoons of chai spice. A 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice with a teaspoon of cardamom mixed into it will give a similar taste to the chai spice blend in the recipe.
- All purpose flour: Make these soft spiced cookies, gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (270 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both of these are required for this cookie recipe to work as intended.
- Cornstarch: This is optional, but does give the cookies a softer texture.
- Brown Butter: The nuttiness of the brown butter is the perfect pairing for the warm chai spices. If you would like to skip browning the butter, melt 1 cup (226 g) of unsalted butter for one minute in the microwave, stir and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Egg and Yolks: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
Variation
Chai Glaze: Mix 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) freshly brewed chai tea, expresso or milk.
How To Make
Learn how to make chai cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a small bowl whisk the all the ground spices together until well combined. Scoop 2 teaspoons into another bowl to be filled with sugar for rolling the chai cookie dough balls before baking. Set aside for now. In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the butter to the fridge to cool for another 15 - 20 minutes.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, the remaining ground chai spice blend, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the dough and chill while the oven preheats for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the small bowl with the reserved chai spice, whisk the sugar and spices together until well combined. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chai sugar cookie dough, roll the dough ball into the spiced sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 9 - 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the chewy chai spiced sugar cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Although this easy spicy chai cookie recipe comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Store: Place the baked chai spiced cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days. To store cookie dough, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container. Before baking, allow the chilled cookie dough to sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before scooping into balls and rolling into the spiced sugar.
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Prepare the chai tea cookies through the resting step. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with rolling in the spiced sugar.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place each of the cookies in a freezer proof container in a single line with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw the cookies by setting them out at room temperature for a few hours or until thawed.
M’s Expert Tips
- Allow time. Plan to spend about 30 - 45 minutes before starting the actual mixing of the cookie dough to brown the butter and allowing it to cool.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Rest the dough. Resting the dough for even 30 minutes allows a softer and chewier cookie.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
This recipe for chai sugar cookies is inspired by Taylor Swift’s favorite chai cookies. This recipe is more like a generously chai spiced sugar cookie. Top these cookies with a vanilla or chai spiced glaze to make these cookies even more like Taylor’s version.
Chai spice is a blend of ground spices commonly added to black tea or some creamy liquid such as milk. Ground cardamom is the most common ingredient in chai spice blends, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
This can happen for a number of different reasons. The butter may have been too warm or there isn’t enough flour in the cookie dough are the two main reasons.
Other Chai Recipes to Try
If you try this Chai Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Chai Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 sauce pan or small pot
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
Chai Spice Blend
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
Chai Cookies
- 1¼ cups (20 tablespoons, 283 g) unsalted butter
- 2¼ cup (270 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chai spice blend
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (250 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chai Spiced Sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons chai spice blend
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk the all the ground spices together until well combined. Scoop 2 teaspoons into another bowl to be filled with sugar for rolling the chai cookie dough balls before baking. Set aside for now.3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger , 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon all spice , ½ teaspoon nutmeg , ½ teaspoon cloves
- In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant.Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the butter to the fridge to cool for another 15 - 20 minutes.1¼ cups (20 tablespoons, 283 g) unsalted butter
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, the remaining ground chai spice blend, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until well combined.2¼ cup (270 g) all purpose flour , 2 tablespoons chai spice blend , 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking soda , ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge while the oven preheats for 30 minutes.1¼ cups (250 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar , 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 large egg yolks, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the small bowl with the reserved chai spice, whisk the sugar and spices together until well combined.½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons chai spice blend
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chai sugar cookie dough, roll the dough ball into the spiced sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 9 - 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the chewy chai spiced sugar cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
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