Chai Sugar Cookies

Chai Sugar Cookies have perfect crunchy edges, a chewy interior, and are loaded with comforting warm spices for the coziest holiday vibes! The dough comes together in under 15 minutes, making these the ideal cookie to prep ahead for cookie exchanges and bake sales.

The chewy texture and rich, spice-infused flavor of these chai sugar cookies is warming from the inside out! And the process is so simple these might be the easiest, most comforting cookies ever. I always bake them from frozen, so if I ever need a chai pick-me-up I just pop a couple pre-portioned cookie dough balls in the oven and wait for coziness to fill the air.

It’s important to collect recipes for refreshingly uncomplicated Christmas cookies that are just different enough to be unique, but still comforting. It’s what makes these chai sugar cookies an easy addition to any cookie platter! I love pairing them with Christmas crinkle cookies and soft gingerbread cookies for consistency and contrast. 

Professional Tips

• Don’t over cream your butter and sugar. Under-creaming the butter and the sugar will prevent too much air from being trapped in between the particles, thus creating a thicker, chewier cookie. Beat just until a paste forms and use cold but pliable butter for the best texture.  
• Be mindful when adding your dry ingredients. Add the next large spoonful of flour mixture just before the last one has fully incorporated. Over-mixing will develop too much gluten, and your cookies will turn out tough.
• Bake these cookies from frozen. Chilling the dough all the way before baking helps the cookies keep their shape. It also helps ensure a chewy texture with crisp edges!

Ingredients

• Ground Cinnamon: I love Saigon cinnamon in these and in my cinnamon sugar cookies, but any ground cinnamon will do.
• Ground Cloves: While they seem like an unimportant addition, cloves really round out the spice profile. Without it, they would seem flat and just not quite right.
• Ground Coriander
• Ground Black Pepper: Ground black pepper adds a little heat and interest to this spiced cookie dough!
• Cardamom: Cardamom is one of my OBSESSIONS. I prefer to purchase cardamom seeds and grind them in smaller batches as needed. Freshly ground cardamom is floral with citrus notes! I use it in these cardamom walnut snowballs, browned butter cardamom snickerdoodles, and in these easy ice box cookies. 
• Ground Ginger: Ground Ginger has a subtler flavor than freshly grated ginger root. It has less bite and is more warming.
• Light Brown Sugar: Using light brown sugar adds sweetness along with a little moisture. This will keep the cookies softer while offering a nice, rich molasses flavor.
• Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking. This is because you want to control the amount of salt you are adding. I use butter for flavor, which is why I don’t use shortening in my chai sugar cookie recipe.
• Large Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking Powder: Double acting baking powder will react instantly when it is mixed with an acid and then again when it is heated. I do not use baking soda in order to keep them thick and chewy!
• Kosher Salt

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Vary the spices: I encourage you to try the spices as written but you could also experiment with secret ingredients like apple pie spice or pumpkin spice in the Fall and nutmeg, allspice, or speculoos spice mix in the winter!
• Take the cinnamon up a notch. Take a page from my cinnamon sugar twists recipe and roll your dough balls in a cinnamon-sugar mixture made from cinnamon and white sugar right before baking. This will give you an extra crunch on the crust. You could also add a ½ cup of cinnamon chips to your cookies, and use any extra for some cinnamon scones!
• Add a frosting. Try spreading on cream cheese frosting, cream cheese frosting for cookies, American buttercream colored with food coloring, or even the frosting from these sprinkles triple cinnamon cupcakes. You could absolutely top them with just a simple donut glaze or powdered sugar!

How to Make Chai Sugar Cookies

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and chai spice in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Step 2: Cream butter and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or electric mixer) until a paste forms. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat well to combine. 

Step 3: Reduce the mixer to low and add dry ingredients in three additions, waiting until almost all the flour has been incorporated before adding the next. 

Step 4: Scoop with a large cookie scoop or roll into balls about 3 tablespoons in size. Chill dough before baking. Bonus points for freezing! 

Step 5: Preheat the oven to 325°F convection (with fan) or 350°F conventional (no fan).

Step: 6: Place dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven for 15-16 minutes (from frozen, for a 16 cookie yield) until the edges are a nice golden brown, the centers have puffed and the surface looks matte not shiny. Cool completely. You can cool them on a wire rack or on the baking sheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

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