Description
These Spiced Baked Chai Tea Cookies blend aromatic chai spices with a buttery, soft cookie dough for a warm and comforting treat. Perfect to enjoy alongside a cup of chai tea or milk, these cookies offer a unique twist on classic spiced cookies with the infusion of real chai tea leaves and traditional spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Spices and Flavorings
- 2 chai tea bags (contents only)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to ensure proper incorporation, then stir in the vanilla extract for flavor.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough which can make cookies tough.
- Add Spices and Chai Leaves: Open the chai tea bags and add only the tea leaves along with the ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg to the cookie dough. Mix until the spices are evenly incorporated to infuse the cookies with chai flavor.
- Form Dough Balls: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may look slightly soft, which is perfect as they will firm up upon cooling.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, which helps them set properly.
- Serve: Enjoy these spiced chai cookies alongside a warm cup of chai tea or a glass of milk for a delightful treat.
Notes
- For stronger chai flavor, consider infusing the butter with chai tea beforehand or adding an extra chai tea bag contents to the dough.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days for optimal freshness.
- You can substitute unsalted butter with salted butter but reduce added salt accordingly.
- If you prefer a less intense spice flavor, reduce the amounts of ground spices by half.
- Allow cookies to cool completely to prevent breakage when removing from baking sheets.
