Chai Sugar Cookies
Cookie season approaches, my friends. Temps are dropping, my fuzzy socks are on, and I’m just about ready for all things spiced and sweet.
I could give a spiel about the holidays and coziness, but I’ll keep it brief here: you need a cookie. At this point in 2020, we all need a cookie. This cookie, specifically, because you only need one mixing bowl and the handful of spices you’ve already probably gathered for your holiday baking. The chilling time is short - about the length of time it’ll take to clean up the kitchen - so there’s just no good reason to avoid making them.
I’m not a coffee drinker (“Gasp!” Yes, I know), so chai is my favorite warm drink year-round. These cookies literally taste like chai because we are literally dumping bags of tea into the mixture. My favorite is Tazo’s Classic Chai.
You may well be thinking, “Are you sure I should put two bags of tea into this cookie dough?” My answer is, “Yes, you definitely should, because I tried this first with one bag of tea, and it was not enough.” There’s no bitterness or grittiness here, I promise!
I know cardamom isn’t the most common spice in American pantries, but it’s a great one to add to your shelf. With great success, I’ve been adding a little bit of cardamom to any recipe that calls for cinnamon. It’s strong, so I use it in roughly the same as I would nutmeg or allspice. You can skip it here, but you’ll be missing out just a little bit.
Chai Sugar Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 ⅓ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 bags chai tea
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon allspice
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
SUGAR MIX FOR ROLLING
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat until smooth.
Add baking soda, and beat for about 20 seconds longer than seems necessary. Add spices and tea and mix until combined.
On low speed, beat the flour into the butter mixture about 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Chill the dough in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or in the fridge for about an hour.
Mix sugar mixture in a shallow dish. Form dough into 1 ½” balls. Roll in sugar mixture and place on baking sheet 2” - 3” apart.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are firm in the center and beginning to get golden around the edges. Makes about 30 cookies.
