Julie Clark
Updated:
Spiced Chai Sugar Cookies
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Warm vanilla spiced chai sugar cookies that are rolled in a homemade chai spice blend. Dunk them in a chai latte for a comforting breakfast or snack. If you love sugar cookies, see all of our recipes here.
We created our own chai tea pairing…Spiced Chai Sugar Cookies. We took our classic, bakery-style sugar cookies, gave it a warm vanilla flavor and added chai spices.
It’s almost like a snickerdoodle, but even better.
What you’ll love about these cookies:
- a unique twist on a traditional favorite
- soft, sweet and warmly spicy
- thick and buttery
- freezer friendly
What is chai spice?
Have you ever had chai tea? It’s been an Indian tradition for centuries. It’s a black tea blend that is partly sweet and partly spicy. Here’s the common spices in chai spice:
- cardamom
- allspice
- cinnamon
- cloves
- ginger
Allspice and cloves are strong, so we just put in a hint. You can tweak the amounts to get the exact flavor you like.
Do you have to refrigerate the cookie dough?
The spiced chai sugar cookies are best when you refrigerate the dough for about an hour before you bake them. Make the dough, scoop the dough into 1 1/2″ balls, roll the dough in the special homemade chai spice/sugar mixture, and pop that dough into the refrigerator.
Spiced Chai Sugar Cookies
Warm vanilla spiced chai sugar cookies that are rolled in a homemade chai spice blend. Dunk them in a chai latte for a comforting breakfast or snack.
Servings 20
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chai spice mix
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chai Spice for Rolling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and allspice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
- Scoop the dough into about 18-20 1-1/2" inch balls.
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the chai spice.
- Roll the dough balls in the chai spice and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Slightly flatten the top of each cookie with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar.*
- Refrigerate the cookies for at least 1 hour.
- Sprinkle the top of the cookies with extra chai spice right before baking.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, removing the cookies just before the edges get brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes, then move them to a flat surface to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
*If you flatten the cookies after they chill, they get the lighter color “broken” edges look.
The calories shown are based on the cookies being cut into 20 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 33mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Helpful Cookie Resources:
- Our best Cookie Making Tools that every baker should have.
- Tips on how to freeze cookies.
- Do your cookies turn out flat? Find out why here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you double the recipe?
Yes! This recipe doubles well.
Can you make the cookies smaller?
Yes. We generally make bigger cookies. If you make smaller cookies just watch the baking time. They won’t need as long to bake.
What are some add-ins for this recipe?
You could add white chocolate chips or chopped nuts if you’d like.
Can I refrigerate these overnight? I’m hosting a party tomorrow and would prefer to just slide them in the oven and bake them!
Something about this recipe didn’t work for me! The cookie dough didn’t bind at all and was crumbling all over the place. I have an aversion to too much egg so I added more butter. I’m new at this so I don’t really know how that’ll go over in the oven :/. The dough is in the fridge for now.
can these be frozen prior to cooking ?
Hi! I bookmarked this recipe a few years ago as its such a good one and always a hit, thankyou! This time I noticed it’s a bit different, instead of spice measurements you have the homemade chai spice recipe link, which is a little different to before, it didn’t contain ground coriander or pepper before. Is there any chance you have a copy of that previous version? 🙏🙏 thankyou so much.
If I already have store bought chai spice do I still use the amount for your homemade chai spice?
I love chai flavor and want to make these cookies.. I don’t like a super spicey flavor how much would I reduce the ginger or cardamom so as not to have it too spicey but not take away that little spice bite?
Loved this recipe so much!
super tasty cookies. I’ll be making them again. Spicy, sweet , crispy on the outside, chewy inside. yummm
Big sigh of relief – All is well!!! I did indeed bookmark this recipe. 🙂 I’d made it a few years ago and we absolutely loved the flavors! I offered to make it again for a book club, but then searched through all my recipes to no avail. I’m looking forward to making it again! Thanks for sharing such a memorable and delicious recipe! 🙂 <3
I found that using 1 egg made the recipe too dry. 2 eggs seemed to help the dough come together better. Other than that the recipe was great. I have chai loving co-worker who was very excited to receive these.
These cookies AND the photos look amazing! Makes me want one right now!
Is the refrigerating necessary?
I’m craving cookies RIGHT NOW lol
Kind of confused. Your header says 10min worth of cooking time, while the directions say 20. Its making me a little worried about making this recipe.