I'm not much of a chai tea drinker, but these Chai Sugar Cookies are so good I could eat an entire batch of them! They're perfectly soft, chewy, and flavored with warm chai spices! I like to dunk them in my espresso drink to resemble dirty chai latte cookies. They also pair super well with tea, of course, or a cup of warm apple cider!
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These chai tea cookies are a great dessert to share at any occasion, but are especially wonderful during the holiday season! Bring them to your next cookie exchange for a fun twist on a classic snickerdoodle or sugar cookie.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- You only need 9 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make this easy cookie recipe!
- These chai cookies have a soft center with a slight crunch on the outside.
- It's like a fall version of snickerdoodle cookies!
- It's a comforting cookie to enjoy throughout the fall and winter time.
Ingredients
- Chai spice - While this is often sold as its own pre-packaged spice, you can easily make your own at home (see recipe card notes below)! It's a simple combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and allspice.
- Lemon extract - This is a secret ingredient that my grandma always puts in her sugar cookies! It enhances the flavor, making them even more delicious! This ingredient can be found in most grocery stores near the vanilla extract. However, if you don't have it on hand, it can be omitted.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Want extra chai flavor? Mix a little bit of chai spice with the sugar that you roll the dough balls in before baking them!
- If you're a fan of star anise, feel free to add a pinch of it into the cookie dough along with the chai spice.
- Next time, try browning your butter in a pan over medium/low heat and letting it cool and solidify before mixing with the sugar. This will give a warm, nutty flavor that's perfect for colder months!
- Try drizzling a maple syrup icing on top of the cooled cookies! You can find a recipe for one in my Maple Chai Donuts post.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and chai spice.
Step 2: In a large bowl using an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the unsalted butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon extract.
Step 3: Carefully stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed, just until the flour streaks disappear.
Step 4: Roll cookie dough balls in sugar, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 350°F until the edges start to tan (about 10 minutes). Let the cookies cool on the sheet until they're firm enough to transfer to a wire rack.
Expert Tips
Tip #1 - Weigh your dry ingredients in grams using a food scale (see "metric" tab in the recipe card below). This is the most accurate way to measure your flour and will help ensure you end up with soft cookies rather than dry, puffy ones. If you do use measuring cups, be sure to use the spoon and level method rather than packing the flour into the cups.
Tip #2 - Use a cookie scoop to make the dough balls so that the cookies are all equal in size and bake evenly.
Tip #3 - Bake one cookie sheet at a time on the middle rack of your oven. I also recommend having an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is actually at the temperature it's supposed to be at.
Recipe FAQs
This could be a result of over-baking the cookies. Be sure to take them out of the oven right when the edges start to tan. The cookies will continue to bake on the hot pan outside of the oven, so taking them out before they're golden brown will keep the centers soft.
No, chilling the dough is not necessary.
Yes! Premade chai spice or homemade mix will both taste great in these cookies.
Storage
Room Temperature: Baked chai cookies can be stored here in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I recommend adding a slice of bread to the container as it will absorb moisture, keeping the cookies soft for longer!
Refrigerator: The chai cookie dough can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it thaw at room temperature before scooping, rolling in sugar, and baking.
Freezing Instructions: Wrap the cooled cookies tightly in plastic wrap and/or a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months. You can also freeze cookie dough balls to bake at a later time for up to 1 month.
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📖 Recipe
Chai Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Medium cookie scoop
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 2 large (2 large) eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) lemon extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) salt
- 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) chai spice*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Individually add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract and mix well.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together and add them to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Make 1" dough balls and roll them in sugar. Place them evenly around a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes (or until the bottoms are lightly tan).
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Notes
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ginger
Fran says
I made the Chai spice mix and the cookies....soooo delicious....I love Chai anything and this is a great addition to a sugar cookie recipe. Thank you Kayla
Kayla Burton says
Yay so happy you like them!! Thanks, Fran!
Kim says
Can I use real lemon juice?
Kayla Burton says
Hmm I haven't tested this but it might affect the texture since it's more acidic than extract
Cindy K says
Oh, my goodness what a wonderful treat! I had one stick of unsalted butter I needed to use up and was thrilled to see the option to convert this recipe to half or double the original. Thank you for that and for this delicious inspiration!
I say inspiration because I didn't follow your recipe exactly because I didn't have any lemon extract on hand so opted for mocha extract instead. I rarely have granulated sugar so used raw and that worked out fine as well. I also thought 1/2 tsp of chai spice seemed too weak for the chai flavor I was hoping for, so I tripled that. (I REALLY love chai😊) The last thing I changed was to not roll them in sugar before baking but rather pushed a walnut half into the top of each, flattening them a bit and making them a touch healthier.
These are delightfully soft, satisfyingly chai flavored and mine also have a nice contrasting crunch from the walnut with a nice aftertaste of a hint of coffee. Soooo good!
Kayla Burton says
Ooh this modification sounds amazing!! I'm so happy you enjoyed them and were able to spin the recipe to your liking! Thank you for taking the time to share this review 🙂
Amy says
Curious about the spice measurements. I noticed ginger was a tbsp. I wanted to be sure as all other measurements said 1tsp. Thanks!
Kayla says
Hi Amy! Yes the tablespoon of ginger is correct, thanks for checking!
Madison says
Such good flavour and from a cookie dough that's so quick and easy to make? This is a keeper! Thank you!
Kayla says
Thank you so much, Madison 🙂 I'm happy to hear you enjoyed them!!
Hailey says
Everyone, even non chai lovers and all 6kids loved them. Stayed soft all week! Our favourite new cookie👌😀
Kayla says
Yay I'm so happy to hear the non chai lovers enjoyed them and they kept well! Thank you for making my recipe, Hailey!!
Shae says
These chai sugar cookies turned out amazing!! Like a grown up snickerdoodle! I omitted the lemon extract just because I didn’t have it on hand, but they were still delicious. If you love chair tea lattes, you’ll love these cookies! I love that the recipe is written in grams as well as cups, too.
Kayla says
Yes definitely a grown up snickerdoodle, I love that! I'm so glad they were just as good without the lemon extract! Thanks so much for trying these cookies 🙂