Chai Sugar Cookies
Rating: 9.5/10
Difficulty: 4/10
Chai cookies are a delightful treat that brings the warm, comforting flavors of chai tea to your cookie jar. These cookies are like a cozy hug in dessert form, offering a perfect blend of aromatic spices and a touch of sweetness. Biting into a chai cookie is a sensory experience that evokes the feeling of sipping a steaming cup of spiced tea on a chilly afternoon.
What ingredients you will need:
Serving: 24 Cookies
For the cookies
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Cinnamon sugar for rolling
For the glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling the top of the cookies
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and all of the spices. Beat to combine.
- Add the egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low.
- The dough will be soft. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle
- For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness. Roll each cookie dough in a small bowl of cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients to thick but spreadable. Spread each cooled cookie with graze just over the center, leaving the edges of the cookie free of glaze. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh nutmeg if you have it. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.