Irresistibly Remarkable Chai Tea Cookies You'll Love to Make

What do popstars and chai have in common? If you’re a Swiftie you already know the answer: Taylor Swift Chai Cookies! Don’t chai tea cookies sound incredible? — Yes, I’ll take some, please! 

The leaves start changing and “Starbucks/ex-lovers” order their pumpkin-spiced lattes — love and drama are in the air. But, it also means it’s time for some chai sugar cookies! Taylor Swift’s chai cookie recipe is one we gladly visit every year. 

But did you know that the recipe is a spinoff from someone else’s cookie recipe? — Truth!  We have to put out there that Taylor has never claimed it as her own. She’s always given full credit to the original creator. And who is that?

You can find Joy the Baker’s official Taylor Swift Chai Cookies recipe on her baking site. You can also find Taylor’s version plastering the internet this time of year. But for all the popularity of these recipes, it’s remarkable that only one of them is made with tea! — What?

We thought it was a little odd that a chai sugar cookie recipe was missing its main ingredient — To tell the truth, in both cases, the recipes lacked a little something authentic. So, naturally, we remedied this and put our own spin on this popular chai tea cookies recipe. We think it packs more flavor and quality into every chewy bite of goodness. — Yum!

You’ll find the new and improved recipe below. But, before we get to that: Let’s talk about real chai and why it’s so delicious!

What is Chai?

Taylor Swift chai cookies so decadent because of the chai! But, do you know what chai is?

“Chai” is the Hindi word for “tea”. “Chai” comes from the “cha” which is the Chinese word for “tea”. At cafes across America, you’ll hear people order “chai tea” which is just the same as saying “tea tea” — how silly! 

There are tons of chai recipes — just like there are many variations for breakfast teas. Recipes for chai vary across cities, cultures, and families around the world. 

Chai is usually made from a strong black tea base. The tea is steeped with potent spices which give chai its distinct aroma and flavor. Some common spices include cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and clover. 

Chai is sweetened with sugar or honey, and mixed with a hearty helping of milk which gives chai its rich and decadent flavor. This is also called “masala chai” or “spiced chai”. “Masala” is a word for “spice mixes” which are used for different dishes and drinks. The spices are ground into a powder or paste.

It’s no surprise that the strong and spiced flavor of chai is super popular during colder months. And in America, the flavors of chai are the perfect compliment for not only teas but for chai tea cookies. The potent spices in masala chai drive home the fantastic flavor of these chewy and irresistible cookies that round out the fall, winter, and holiday seasons perfectly. 

Now that you understand the origins of chai, let’s talk about these chai tea cookies — or these “tea tea cookies” that everyone is raving about!

Taylor Swift Chai Cookies Recipe - Is It Any Good?

So, are these Taylor Swift chai cookies any good? The short answer is — yes! These chai sugar cookies are so good! 

You need to try them. 

You can read the raving reviews and home-cooked kitchen testimonials for yourself. People are in love with these cookies. Thanks to Taylor Swift, these chai cookies exploded in popularity, shining a light on both her sweet-tooth self and the inventor of the original recipe, Joy. 

But, like we mentioned above, there is a little touch of authenticity that’s missing from both of these recipes. 

While Taylor Swift’s chai cookies are made with tea, she does use a tea bag that is filled with lower-quality tea leaves. We never recommend using tea leaves in a bag unless the tea bag is made with 100% compostable materials and filled with whole tea leaves. Tea dust can leave a bitter taste and is made with lower-quality tea leaves — you don’t want to add it to your cookies. 

Not only that, but many tea bags are horrible for the environment! We encourage cleaning up your tea habits as much as possible to keep the planet healthy and happy — not to mention your own self.

In Joy the Baker’s chai sugar cookie recipe, she foregoes the chai tea bag dust for spices that you might find in masala chai. We think this is the better option of the two. But we missed the “tea” part of the cookies. Joy’s recipe skips the tea altogether and goes straight for the spice.

We think we have the solution that brings together the best ideas of both of these recipes for the ultimate chai tea cookies! Yum!

Our Favorite Chai Tea Cookies Recipe

One of the characteristics we liked most about Taylor’s cookies was the little tea leaves you could see speckled throughout. We thought it added a fun and unique look to the chai sugar cookies that were lacking in Amy’s. But, we liked the potent spices of Amy’s chai tea cookies. 

Our revised Taylor Swift chai cookie recipe combines the best of both worlds and uses potent spices from real masala chai. The masala chai leaves are ground up and added to the cookie mixture for a full-bodied and authentic chai flavor that can’t be compared. 

Your family will absolutely love these chewy chai cookies. Serve them up for your holiday parties, or gift them to neighbors and friends. Get ready to spread smiles all around this season:

Ingredients for Chai Sugar Cookies

The Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons quality masala chai tea finely ground (measure after grinding)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon sugar for rolling (made of 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and one tablespoon of cinnamon)

The Glaze: 

1.5 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (fresh nutmeg is a lot more flavorful than pre-ground)

3 tablespoons whole milk or eggnog

Step-by-Step Recipe for Chai Tea Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your baking sheet(s) with lined parchment paper.
2. Grind tea with a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder until very fine. Sift and discard large leftover pieces. Measure 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of finely ground tea leaves and set aside.
3. Sift and mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside to let it aerate.
4. In a second large bowl, beat the butter for about 1 minute until creamed
5. Add the vegetable oil and beat together with butter until almost combined. 
6. Add granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and ground tea. Beat together with the butter and oil mixture until combined.
7. Add the egg and vanilla and beat with the butter mixture until combined. Set the beater aside.
8. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a large spoon or spatula until combined. Do not over-mix your dough, or your cookies will be tough.
9. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour so it’s easier to handle.
10. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Measure out and roll the dough into 1-inch balls.
11. Roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and flatten them with your hands or the bottom of a cup until they are about 1/4 inch thick disks.
12. Bake your cookies for 10 to 13 minutes until light golden brown around the edges.
13. Remove from the oven and immediately slide the parchment and cookies onto cooling racks so they don’t continue to cook on the sheet pan. Let your cookies cool completely before the final steps.
14. In a bowl, whisk all glaze ingredients until it is a spreadable mixture but still thick. 
15. Spread each cookie with glaze in the middle, leaving the edges bare. Or thin your icing with a little more milk or eggnog and drizzle your cookies. 
16. Enjoy the chewy goodness!

More Tea-Infused Food Ideas

Chai tea cookies aren’t the only goodies you can make from tea. In fact, we are fans of using tea in just about every kind of snack and food. Taylor Swift chai cookies are only the start of your tea food repertoire.

You can make Earl Grey tea cookies, or other buttery cookies from tea-infused butter or spices. Try soaking a cake in sugary tea-infused syrup. You can even make custards and ice cream using your favorite teas. 

Celebrate the holidays or year-round events with cocktail and tea combinations for a unique spin on the party atmosphere. And when you’re done partying, give yourself a little boost of health with tea power boosters for your morning smoothies. 

If you want to learn more about how to use tea for different entrees and recipes you can check out the blog here. 

Your Home for Endless Tea Possibilities

Who knew that you could use tea in so many creative and edible ways? Yes, tea is for drinking, but it’s also perfect for Taylor Swift chai cookies and a myriad of other recipes. We even encourage you to use tea to clean your home if you can believe it. 

But when it comes down to it, an excellent pot of tea is just plain remarkable. Don’t you agree?

We hope you carve out some time for yourself and create a wellness routine that includes some of your favorite teas and teaware. Imagine, enjoying “you time” tucked away in your little corner, with your favorite book and a mug of hot tea in hand. You deserve little perfect moments like these each and every day — and we believe you can have it! You deserve it!

Teabloom is on a mission to not only clean up the tea industry but also to give you the means to easily enjoy elevated tea moments on the daily. We believe perfect moments and happiness are captured in the smallest rituals — like a calming cup of tea. 

We hope you make some chai tea cookies and snuggle up with a mug of your favorite tea. And if you do, please comment below and share your stories with us. We would love to hear from you. 

Happy baking and tea-ing, dear friend!

www.Teabloom.com