Chai Tea Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons loose leaf black chai tea
• 2 1/2 (313 g) cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

Glaze

• 1 cup (120 g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk
• pinch of cardamom
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. To start, make sure your tea is ground. Add loose leaf tea into a small food processor, blender or (I used) a coffee grinder. Blend into a fine powder.
3. In a large bowl add dry ingredients; flour, chai tea, baking powder, soda, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
4. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until the dough comes together.
6. Roll cookie dough into 1 tablespoon balls. Place the balls onto your prepared cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart. Gently with the palm of your hand press the balls down to slightly flatten.
7. Bake for 12 minutes or just until the bottoms start to lightly brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
8. Meanwhile, make your glaze. In a small bowl add icing sugar, milk (one tablespoon at a time) and a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
9. Once cookies have cooled, add a dollop into the center of each cookie and spread out, leaving some of the cookie edges exposed. Let the icing set for 20-30 minutes before enjoying.

NOTES

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze in the freezer for up to 2 months.

* If you have an issue with a crumbly dough after beating for an extra minute or two, your flour ratio is most likely off. Make sure you spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If the dough doesn't come together, add an extra tablespoon of butter and beat in.

Variation: Turn your chai tea cookies into chai-spiced snickerdoodle cookies by rolling the dough balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before baking. This gives the cookies a sweet, slightly crunchy coating with an extra cinnamon kick.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: 40 Cookies

Thank you Alie Romano for the recipe. Discover expert tips and techniques for Chai Tea Cookies at Baking For Friends.