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    Home » Cookies » Chai Cookies

    Chai Cookies

    Published: Feb 21, 2017 by Jen Sobjack · 13 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

    Jump to Recipe

    Melt in your mouth Chai Cookies are full of cozy winter flavors! They are so soft they practically melt in your mouth. The cookie is loaded with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and a dash of black pepper. It comes together easily and is bound to become your new favorite cookie.

    Overhead view of Chai Cookies in a pan and on a blue fabric.

    Inspired by my favorite tea, Chai Cookies come together in a snap! They are melt in your mouth tender and insanely delicious!

    Tender, buttery cookies filled with loads of chai spices. You get hints of warm cinnamon, cozy cardamom, spicy ginger, allspice, and just a minute essence of black pepper.

    Incredible! It’s the best way to describe them.

    They are soft and pillowy like these banana nut bread cookies and Meyer lemon cookies.

    Side view of a stack of Chai Cookies.

    If you plan to share these cookies with your family and friends, I can guarantee they will be gobbled up within seconds. You may decide to keep them all for yourself and that’s okay because they will stay soft and fresh for up to 1 week!

    This recipe was inspired by my favorite tea. I love to sip on chai tea with a splash of heavy cream. It’s absolutely wonderful on a cold winter morning.

    It really is the best combination of cozy spices and will warm you from the inside out. It’s better than coffee, and I love my coffee!

    The dough for today’s chai cookies comes together easily. It does need to chill for two hours before baking. Because of this, I like to make the dough the night before and bake the cookies first thing in the morning.

    Overhead view of Chai Cookies on a baking sheet.

    When making the dough, start with room temperature ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar together just until combined. Don’t mix until it’s light and fluffy. There’s no need for excessive amounts of air in the batter.

    The cookies get their soft pillowy texture from cream of tartar. Don’t leave it out! If you omit it, the cookies will be crisp and chewy, much like these butterscotch toffee cookies.

    When it comes time to roll the dough into balls, roll them a tad bit taller instead of an even round ball. They won’t spread as much and will come out thicker.

    When the cookies first come out of the oven, they may look like little puffy domes but as they cool, they’ll flatten out a bit.

    Wait for them to cool and enjoy!

    Overhead view of a pan of Chai Cookies.

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    Continue to Content
    Overhead view of a pan of Chai Cookies.

    Chai Cookies

    Yield: 30 cookies
    Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 9 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours 29 minutes

    Melt in your mouth Chai Cookies are full of cozy winter flavors! They are so soft they practically melt in your mouth. The cookie is loaded with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and a dash of black pepper. It comes together easily and is bound to become your new favorite cookie.

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon allspice
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions

    1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer on low speed just until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
    2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, salt, allspice, and black pepper; stir with a whisk. Add all of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
    3. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop 1 and ½ to 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Roll the balls slightly taller instead of perfectly round. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. 
    4. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. The cookies will appear underdone and very soft. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    Make ahead tip

    1. The cookies will keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature. 
    2. The dough can be rolled into balls and frozen for up to 3 months.

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • Baking Sheet
      Baking Sheet
    • 1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
      1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
    • Paddle Attachment
      Paddle Attachment
    • Stand Mixer
      Stand Mixer
    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 30
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72

    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.

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    © Jen Sobjack
    Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies
    Previous Post: « Slow Cooker Monkey Bread
    Next Post: Slow Cooker Bread »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenna says

      December 01, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      I love the flavour of these!! But for some reason mine didn't flatten out when baking -- what could have gone wrong? I also found my dough to be a bit dry. Any thoughts? I'd love to try making them again!

      Reply
      • Jen Sobjack says

        December 02, 2020 at 10:49 am

        It sounds like you used too much flour. Fluff the flour with a fork and lightly spoon it into the measuring cup then level the cup with the back of a knife. Don't pack the flour into the cup.

        Reply
    2. Lorena says

      May 07, 2020 at 1:51 am

      A winner of a cookie, thanks, Jen! Will definitely be making these again. I also love anything chai, so I added your chai spice concoction to my banana pancakes mixture and it worked quite well! (Added 1/4 tsp ground cloves for an extra kick!) I can see so many other tempting recipes on your website which I'm looking forward to trying out. Thanks for your website!

      Reply
    3. Papa Merit says

      December 18, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      These are the cookies that you dream of. So unique but yet familiar. I started with 1 batch to try them out and immediately had to make another double batch. The pretty time consuming cookies at the family Christmas luncheon were left and these magically disappeared!
      My ever so slight twist was to brown the butter to a golden amber and then to bring it back to a solid. I also added the zest of a small clementine. Either way there delicious!

      Reply
      • Jen Sobjack says

        December 18, 2018 at 5:08 pm

        Thanks for sharing! I love the addition of brown butter and citrus zest. I can't wait to give it a try!!

        Reply
      • Stacey says

        November 08, 2019 at 1:16 pm

        Browning the butter is a genius idea! Definitely doing this next time.

        Reply
    4. a says

      October 27, 2018 at 4:41 am

      what if i dont have cream of tatar? i hope i can just leaave it out!

      Reply
      • Jen Sobjack says

        October 29, 2018 at 9:39 am

        Yes, you can omit it if you don't want to use it. That should be okay.

        Reply
    5. @_eyecandyphotos says

      May 21, 2017 at 7:16 am

      I want to try this recipe, they look Fantastic! I'm not a fan of pepper so is it key to have the 1/8 tsp of black pepper or could I leave it out? What taste does it give?

      Reply
      • Jen Sobjack says

        May 22, 2017 at 8:18 am

        The pepper is such a tiny amount, you can barely tell it's there. But, it gives a nice subtle hint of spice. You can leave it out if you don't want to use it.

        Reply
    6. Louise Forman says

      March 20, 2017 at 7:17 am

      Loved these! But I think you need to use less dough for each ball/cookie to avoid them running into each other. I only got 24 cookies by following your recommendation. Next time I'll try 2 teaspoons, not 2 tablespoons.

      Reply
      • Jen Sobjack says

        March 20, 2017 at 8:08 am

        If you roll the dough balls slightly taller instead of perfectly round, they won't spread as much. Also, chilling the dough prevents excess spreading. The instructions also state to roll 1 1/2 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons. 1 1/2 tablespoons will yield you 30 cookies.

        Reply
    7. Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says

      February 22, 2017 at 6:29 am

      I'm SUCK a sucker for chai-flavored anything and these cookies look unbelievably amazing, Jen! So wishing I had a few of these for breakfast right now!!

      Reply

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