Chai Cookies

These soft and chewy Chai Cookies have lightly crisp edges and a warm blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. A thick vanilla chai glaze made with strongly brewed tea adds even more cozy chai flavor.

Prep Time20

Cook Time11

Chill Time and Glaze Set Time, divided1

Total Time1 31

Servings: to 20

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Chai Cookie Dough

¾ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup brown sugar packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Chai Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons strongly brewed chai tea cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅙ teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

Make the Cookie Dough: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until a soft dough forms.
Chill, Steep, and Scoop: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Steep a chai tea bag for at least 5 minutes to make strongly brewed tea and let it cool completely. Near the end of chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll into balls, and arrange about 2 inches apart.
Bake, Cool, and Make the Glaze: Bake for about 11 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Whisk the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cooled chai tea, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom until thick but pourable. Add additional tea ½ teaspoon at a time only if needed.
Glaze: Drizzle over the completely cooled cookies and let the glaze set for 20–30 minutes before serving or stacking.

Notes

Bake Time: Our cookies were best at about 11 minutes, but ovens vary. Look for set edges and slightly soft centers.
Chilling: Don't skip the full 30-minute chill if you want the thicker texture we achieved during testing.
Cookie Size: Three tablespoons of dough produced our preferred soft, chewy centers and yielded approximately 18–20 cookies.
Cardamom: Don't reduce it if you want the distinctive chai flavor we achieved with this spice blend.
Chai Tea: Steep for at least 5 minutes so its flavor is strong enough to come through in the glaze.
Glaze: Add additional tea only ½ teaspoon at a time to keep the glaze thick enough for defined drizzles.
Storage: Store airtight at room temperature for 3–4 days.
Freezing: For our preferred result, freeze the cookies unglazed and add fresh glaze after thawing.

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