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Chewy Chai Sugar Cookies pack a flavor punch with a blend of chai-inspired spices. If you love chai, these are the cookies for you!

Glass of milk next to chai sugar cookies scattered on a piece of parchment paper
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I feel like the older I get, the less interested I am in shopping inside actual stores.

You know with other humans, shopping carts and checkout lines?

Lately, I feel like I’ve been heavily relying on Instacart to do my grocery shopping. And every single time the little popup shows me how many hours I’ve saved by having them do my shopping just keeps me ordering allthethings from the app.

I do actually drive to pick up the groceries as opposed to having them delivered, so there’s that.

Don’t even get me started on Amazon Prime. Let’s just say I’m on a first name basis with pretty much every single delivery driver in my town.

Chai sugar cookie balanced on the edge of a glass of milk
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Since we have so many deliveries at this time of year, I love to leave a little box on the porch full of snacks, water and Gatorade for the delivery drivers to enjoy on their route.

While I’d love to say I thought of this, I actually got the idea from Kristen at Dine and Dish about 4 years ago and it’s become one of our favorite holiday traditions.

This year, I’m thinking of packaging up homemade cookies to leave for them as well!

I mean, who wouldn’t love to get Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Chip Cookies, or these Chai Sugar Cookies during the holidays?

Chai sugar cookie broken in half next to a glass of milk

What are chai spices?

Have you ever had chai?

“Chai” literally means “tea” in Hindi. In India, chai isn’t just a type of tea…it is tea!

Here in America, chai refers to a spiced, milky black tea. The spices usually include green cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. Sometimes other spices such as cloves or star anise are used as well.

Chai sugar cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl

I love chai and like to use chai spices to flavor all sorts of baked goods, such as Maple Chai Cinnamon Rolls, chai spiced granola, and Chai Spiced Candied Nuts.

Ball of sugar cookie dough being rolled in chai spices

Pretty much anything that would be good with cinnamon would be good with chai spices. I even have a recipe for Chai Spice Blend that you can mix and keep on hand any time you want to add some chai flavor to your recipes.

Chai sugar cookies arranged on parchment paper next to a glass of milk

Chai-spiced sugar cookies

Since I know that chai spices are a great substitute for cinnamon, I was inspired by snickerdoodle cookies to see what might happen if I flavored a chewy sugar cookie dough with chai spices.

Spoiler: The result was amazing.

Chai sugar cookie broken in half on a piece of parchment paper

Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice and black pepper combine to create an incredibly aromatic spice blend that transforms a plain, chewy sugar cookie recipe into a complex and comforting cookie.

Bonus? Chai Sugar Cookies pair perfectly with a piping hot cup of tea.

Chai sugar cookies scattered on parchment next to a glass of milk

Make a batch of Chai Sugar Cookies, steep a pot of tea, and curl up to watch some Christmas movies with your loved ones.

They would also be a great cookie to take to a holiday cookie exchange! They are the perfect combination of familiar and new, with their chewy texture and spicy flavor.

I think you’re going to love them.

Chai sugar cookies stacked next to a glass of milk
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Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

By: Jamie
4.49 from 393 ratings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Chewy Chai Sugar Cookies pack a flavor punch with a blend of chai-inspired spices. If you love chai, these are the cookies for you!

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and black pepper. Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar-spice mixture, set aside to reserve for rolling the cookies.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar-spice mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Beat in egg and vanilla extract, combine until fully incorporated.
  • Slowly blend in dry ingredients mixing until just combined.
  • Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) roll dough into balls and then into the reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Let stand on baking sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Notes

  • Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 120kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 71mg, Potassium: 16mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 165IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

4.49 from 393 votes (392 ratings without comment)

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200 Comments

  1. Ryan says:

    Oooh these looks delicious! Pshhh who cares about right after new years? No one needs new years resolutions anyway! :P Definitely going to try these soon! :)

  2. Paula B. says:

    Was worried about “dressing for work” also…and am also baking a cookies as I read your recipe. This will be on the agenda for weekend baking. Cookies, they are my life. (Good thing I have co-workers ready and willing to help with this.)

  3. Julie @SavvyEats says:

    I love anything and everything chai, so of course I love this recipe!

  4. Sylvia @ My Lovely Bites says:

    I was just craving some chai desserts yesterday (you know, working in an Indian restaurant as a waitress and being a HUGE chai fan..) and wishing I had some chai cupcakes left from my last batch…but these, oh my, they look stunningly delicious! I can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks for sharing :)

  5. meri says:

    I think I might try baking again. These look amazing.

  6. Jen Laceda says:

    Ooh-la-la! I have a strong urge to make these cookies now and pair them with a steaming cup of black tea!

  7. Judy says:

    You had my attention with “Chai”… can’t go wrong with cookies! Can’t wait to try them!

  8. Cassie says:

    I would “forget” to photograph these on purpose, just to have an excuse to make them again. The texture looks absolutely perfect. Great spices too!

  9. anh@anhsfoodblog.com says:

    I love chai spice! A lot actually so these cookies are something I MUST make.

  10. Jackie @ La Casa de Sweets says:

    Jamie, you’ve done it again! I baked up a batch of soft gingerbread cookies last week, and I’ve been in the mood for some more ever since. These chai spice cookies are definitely what I’ll be making to satisfy my craving :)