I'm not really one to drink much chai tea. In fact, I didn't even start to like tea until a couple of years ago, but these Chai Sugar Cookies are so good I could eat an entire batch of them! They're so soft and perfectly spiced! I like to dunk them in my latte to resemble a dirty chai. They also pair super well with tea, of course!
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I could earn from purchases made through them. It doesn't add any extra cost to you, but it does help support this blog!
What Inspired These Cookies?
Every 4th of July, my friend's family generously hosts a bunch of us at their lake house in Wisconsin. It's the only time we all get to see each other since moving across the country after high school. One year his sister asked if I had a recipe for chai cookies. Specifically, she wanted to know how to make them. Should she roll them in chai spice, add it directly in the cookies, or somehow incorporate chai tea into them? Before the conversation with her, I had never even thought of making chai spiced sugar cookies! They sounded delicious though, and I was determined to come up with a new recipe for her!
My first instinct was to add chai spice to sugar cookies. My grandma has always made the best sugar cookies. They're perfectly soft and refreshing with the hint of lemon extract! I don't know much about tea, but lemon goes well with it, right? I knew this sugar cookie recipe would be amazing with chai spice. After a few test rounds, I got the chai spice to sugar cookie ratio on point!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Chai spice
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon extract
Equipment:
- Baking sheet
- Cookie scoop
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Scale or measuring cups
- Hand or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Spatula
Recipe Notes:
These cookies are so easy, soft and delicious dunked in your favorite coffee or tea. The chai flavor compliments these drinks perfectly!
If you don't have chai spice at home or feel like going out and buying some, all you have to do is combine the spices listed below. Then, you'll have 3 tablespoons of mix! This recipe only uses ⅓ of it, so you'll have some leftover (or you can triple this cookie recipe!) I store my extra chai spice in a plastic bag labeled with the date I made it on. You could also save your old spice containers, clean them out really well, and store it in those!
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
After making the dough, don't forget to roll them in some extra sugar! I tried them without this step at first and thought the sugar rolling not only added a tasty touch of sweetness & texture, but made the cookies shine!
Ways to Store These Cookies:
The cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you're storing it in the freezer, I recommend rolling it into balls first so you can just roll them in sugar and plop them on the cookie sheet without having to deal with scooping the frozen dough.
The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container with a slice of bread. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread and stay soft longer. Or, you can store them in the freezer and let the cookies thaw or microwave them for 30-60 seconds prior to eating.
Did you try this recipe?
Tag @brokenovenbaking on Instagram and leave a star review below!
Chai Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chai spice*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 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).
Notes
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ginger
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 🙂
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!!
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!!
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!