Ingredients (~24 cookies)
For the Chai Spice Mix
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
For the Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but cool
- 1 7/8 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix Up the Cookie Dough
The first step is to create your chai spice mixture. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together your spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, and coriander, then set aside.
Next, in another medium-sized larger bowl, whisk together your all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and the prepared chai spice mixture.
Then, in the bowl of your stand mixer (with paddle attachment), cream together your softened butter and light brown sugar (on medium speed) until it forms a thick paste; do not over-cream it; you want the end result to be a chewy and dense cookie rather than a light and airy cookie.
Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing (on medium speed) until combined.
With the mixer running at low speed, begin adding the dry ingredients in 3 equal parts; be sure to not add the next batch until the flour is almost completely combined into the dough (in other words, don’t leave any lumps) before adding in the next batch.
Divide and Refrigerate Dough
Use a #20 cookie scoop (or approximately 3 tbsp) and portion out 24 equal portions of cookie dough.
Place each cookie dough ball onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can bake the cookie dough immediately after it has chilled for a short time, but it is best to freeze it first for a better baking result.
If freezing the cookie dough, simply place the baking sheet in your freezer until all cookie dough balls are frozen, then place each cookie dough ball in a zip-top bag. The cookie dough balls will be able to be baked directly from frozen.
Bake the Cookies
To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chilled or frozen cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with approximately 2 inches of space between each ball.
Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes. The cookies are done baking when they are fully set on the edges and golden/brown in color, while the centers are puffed and no longer wet or uncooked.
Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack for complete cooling.
Chai Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Chai Spice Mix
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
For the Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, softened but cool
- 1 7/8 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, and coriander in small bowl.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and chai spice mix in medium bowl.
- Cream butter and brown sugar until paste forms in stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.
- Add dry ingredients in three batches, mixing until barely incorporated.
- Scoop dough into 24 equal balls (~3 tbsp each or a #20 cookie scoop)
- Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheet and chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Arrange chilled dough balls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake 15-18 minutes until edges are golden and centers are set.
- Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
