Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies are a nice soft cookie with crispy edges that are filled with warm chai spice. These cookies are a melt in your mouth treat that you’ll go to again and again.
Beat the softened butter in a large bowl on medium speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer for about 1 minute. Cookies can also be made using a fork and lots of stirring action.
½ cup unsalted butter
Add the oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and the contents of the tea bag (yep, you’ll open up the tea bag and add in the whole thing). Beat to combine.
½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 chai tea packet
Add the egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated.
1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt all at once with the mixer set on low or using a spatula.
2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
The dough will be soft. Chill the soft dough for about 1 hour or overnight, or freeze for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
For large cookies, scoop cookie dough into approximately 2” round balls. For smaller cookies use 1 tablespoon for each cookie.Place dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches apart. Lightly press the dough to flatten the disks.
Bake for about 9 minutes. The cookies should be slightly golden but the edges should not start to burn.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. I like to pull the silpat or parchment paper off of the cookie sheet with the cookies still on top and let the cookies cool completely on the rack on the paper.
While cookies cool, prepare the icing.
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little of the milk at a time. Stir until smooth. Icing should be thick but spreadable. You don’t want the icing to run off the cookies.
Spread each cooled cookie with glaze just over the center, leaving the edges of the cookie free of glaze. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh nutmeg or cinnamon if desired. Allow the icing to harden completely.
Notes
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.