Soft, spiced, and just the right amount of sweet, these Chai Sugar Cookies are perfect for holiday baking or anytime you’re craving a little comfort in cookie form. Top them with a drizzle of icing, chai sugar, and gold sprinkles for a sparkly sweet Christmas treat.
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Chai Sugar Cookies are the perfect blend of my traditional sugar cookies and a warm chai spice mix, giving a delightful twist to a classic.
The chai spice mix is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and black pepper which infuses every bite with a cozy flavor. If you love the flavors of Chai, try Chai concentrate and an Iced Dirty Chai Latte - they're both full of warm spices.
This cookie dough is easy to mix and work with, making it a great choice for beginner bakers or holiday projects with kids. My basic sugar cookie recipes are the cookies I make by the hundreds for our Christmas cookie decorating party every year.
The optional chai sugar coating and golden sprinkles add a touch of sweetness and a subtle crunch, while the icing drizzle makes for an easy way to dress these cookies up. These cookies are great for festive gatherings or a quiet treat with a cup of tea.
Love sugar cookies but don't want to mess around with cookie cutters? Try a coconut sugar cookie bar or a Christmas sugar cookie bar next, baked in a pan, no cutting out required!
Cookie Cutter Tip
Don't want to make snowflakes? Try other shaped cookie cutters like Christmas trees, gingerbread men, or candy canes. Try fluted circle cookie cutters to enjoy the cookies year-round without the holiday twist. A maple leaf cookie cutter would make for nice fall cookies with this cookie dough.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- unsalted butter: using unsalted butter allows better control over the salt level in the recipe. Make sure to let it come to room temperature before mixing with the sugar.
- sugar: sweetens the cookies and helps achieve a slightly crisp edge.
- egg: binds the ingredients together and adds structure.
- vanilla extract: enhances the warm, sweet flavors of the cookies and pairs well with the chai spices.
- flour: all-purpose flour is the base of the cookies.
- baking powder: adds a little lift to keep the cookies from being too dense.
- salt: balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the spices.
- Chai spice mix: a blend of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom gives the cookies their signature flavor.
- Chai sugar: a mix of sugar and chai spice for coating the cookies, adding a hint of crunch and extra spice. Optional. The cookies are also great on their own.
- gold sprinkles: for an optional decorative, festive touch, giving the snowflakes a twinkle.
- icing sugar & cream: for a simple, sweet drizzle to finish the cookies and give the sugar and sprinkles something to stick to.
Substitutions
- butter: if you swap unsalted butter for salted butter, use only half of the salt called for in the recipe. Alternatively, use plant-based butter for a dairy-free option.
- Chai spice mix: use a store-bought chai spice blend if you have a favorite.
Instructions
Prep Tips
You'll make the dough and then chill it for an hour before rolling and cutting out the cookies. You'll then chill it again for 10 minutes before baking. This all helps ensure that the butter is cold which means the cookies shouldn't spread in the oven.
- Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and chai spice in another bowl.
- Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix well until you have a thick cookie dough.
- Flatten the cookie dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour in the fridge.
- Roll the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thick.
- Cut out shapes.
- The dough should be easy to work with and it should be easy to lift the cookie shapes. Flour your cookie cutter as needed to help prevent it from sticking to the dough.
- Place the cookies on a large lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked and the bottom or edges begin to turn lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cookie rack. Drizzle with the icing if using.
- If using icing, you can also sprinkle the cookie with Chai sugar and gold sprinkles for a pretty, sparkly finish.
Tips for making sugar cookies
- Chilling for 60 minutes helps prevent spreading, making the cookies thick and soft. Don’t skip this step or your cookies might melt together or spread and thin out.
- Measure flour accurately by using a baking scale. Alternatively, use the spoon-and-level method: spoon flour into a measuring cup and then level with a knife. Avoid scooping the measuring cup into the flour. It will pack the flour down and you'll overmeasure the flour, leading to dry cookie dough.
What to serve with Chai sugar cookie snowflakes
For a cozy afternoon snack, pair these Chai Sugar Cookies with a mug of homemade chai latte using chai concentrate.
If you’re serving these cookies at a holiday gathering or making holiday cookie boxes as gifts, pair them with gingerbread cookies, gingerbread crinkle cookies, shortbread, and Nutella Linzer cookies for a festive array of sweets.
Try decorating sugar cookies with royal icing next!
More Cookie Recipes
Storage
Keep the baked and cooled cookies at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the cookies, undecorated, for about 3 months.
FAQs
To help prevent your sugar cookies from spreading make sure your butter is at room temperature and not too soft. If using plant-based butter, which can be softer, don't let it soften too much before mixing. Make sure to refrigerate the dough before and after rolling and cutting the shapes.
Recipe
Chai Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Chai spice below
Chai Spice
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Chai Sugar
- 4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon Chai spice
- Gold Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and chai spice in a small mixing bowl.
- Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix well until you have a thick cookie dough.
- Flatten the cookie dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut out shapes. Flour your cookie cutter as needed to help prevent it from sticking to the dough.
- Place the cookies on a large lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until done and the bottom or edges begin to turn lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cookie rack. Drizzle with the icing if using.
- If using icing, you can also sprinkle the cookies with Chai sugar and gold sprinkles for a pretty, sparkly finish.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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