Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

by Jamie on January 5, 2012

Post image for Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

You may be well on your way into settling into this New Year, and maybe even weaned your way out of your elastic-waist pants. Personally, I was really questioning if I would be able to fit into my dress pants for work on Tuesday, but thankfully they slid right on. We won’t talk about the less forgiving bathroom scale, deal?

I think I’m finally coming down from my food induced haze and find myself craving structure as opposed to cookies. Ha! Who am I kidding? I’m not fooling anyone here – I love cookies. It doesn’t matter that we just spent 2 months baking our little hearts out. Every day is a baking day around here.

I made Chewy Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies over the holiday, but never got around to photographing them, so I just had to make them again. They are actually quite reminiscent of Snickerdoodles, but definitely pack a bigger flavor punch due to the blend of Chai inspired spices.

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 that is pairs perfectly with a piping hot cup of tea.

I think you’re going to love them. In fact, I know you’re going to love them so much you’ll forgive me for posting a delicious must-make cookie recipe five days after the New Year has begun. That’s the power of positive thinking for ya.

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Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

Yield: About 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, combine until fully incorporated.

6. Slowly blend in dry ingredients mixing until just combined.

7. 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.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

8. 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.

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{ 85 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 duchessbelle January 5, 2012 at 4:39 pm

These look wonderful. Do you think I could rip open some tea bags and sub in an equal measure of chai spice tea rather than go out and buy the separate spices?

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avatar 2 Jamie January 5, 2012 at 4:51 pm

Duchessbelle-
Since there is not any actual tea in this recipe, I cannot vouch for the success for using that method. Plus, most teas are a little more coarsely ground than spices, so the chunks of tea could potentially be off-putting. If you give it a shot, definitely post your results.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie

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avatar 3 Nicole January 8, 2012 at 10:00 am

I was missing cardamom, so I decided to steep a very dark tea from my favorite chai. I replaced the vanilla with the cooled tea. Came out delicious….thanks for the yummy recipe !

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avatar 4 Jamie January 15, 2012 at 5:53 am

I added two chai tea bags to a sugar cookie mix and they turned out great!

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avatar 5 Lindsay Sherburn March 27, 2012 at 1:48 pm

Can you explain a bit more about what you did with the tea?

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avatar 6 Jamie March 27, 2012 at 5:01 pm

Lindsay-
There is no tea in this recipe, just the spices that are found in chai tea. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 7 Allison January 5, 2012 at 4:42 pm

yum! You had me convinced with that first photograph!

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avatar 8 Jo January 5, 2012 at 4:47 pm

SO making these for my next book group in January …… thanks for posting this!!!

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avatar 9 Christina @ovenadventures January 5, 2012 at 4:58 pm

I love love chai. I must try these very soon.

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avatar 10 Joanna January 5, 2012 at 5:02 pm

I’ve been looking for this exact thing. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!!

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avatar 11 Cookbook Queen January 5, 2012 at 5:03 pm

I absolutely LOVE Chai Tea (no one else in my family likes it and I honestly don’t know why–it’s amazing) and Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. These obviously need to happen in my kitchen SOON!!!

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avatar 12 Charlynne January 5, 2012 at 5:09 pm

These sound amazing! I’m slightly confused by the 1/2 cup of sugar for rolling in the ingredient list, but the reserving of 1/4 cup of spiced sugar in the directions. Can you clarify the total amount that is actually mixed into the dough? Thanks!

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avatar 13 Jamie January 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Charlynne-

Gosh- Thanks so much for catching that! I cut and pasted in from an older recipe, deleted the bottom, but didn’t save it. Everything is fixed now. So sorry about the confusion.

-Jamie

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avatar 14 Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen January 5, 2012 at 5:09 pm

I love those chai spices, so wonderful in cookie form.

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avatar 15 Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe January 5, 2012 at 5:23 pm

Love the spices in these cookies – I am a big chai fan. I can totally imagine eating a couple (or 10) of these with a hot cup of tea. I forgive you! ;)

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avatar 16 Ann P. January 5, 2012 at 5:58 pm

Chai tea is one of my favorites!! I am sure I would LOVE these cookies… I plan to find out soon by baking up a batch!

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avatar 17 Jackie @ La Casa de Sweets January 5, 2012 at 6:05 pm

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 :)

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avatar 18 anh@anhsfoodblog.com January 5, 2012 at 6:23 pm

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

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avatar 19 Cassie January 5, 2012 at 6:29 pm

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!

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avatar 20 Judy January 5, 2012 at 7:30 pm

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

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avatar 21 Jen Laceda January 5, 2012 at 7:44 pm

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

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avatar 22 meri January 5, 2012 at 7:45 pm

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

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avatar 23 Sylvia @ My Lovely Bites January 5, 2012 at 7:46 pm

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 :)

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avatar 24 Julie @SavvyEats January 5, 2012 at 8:20 pm

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

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avatar 25 Paula B. January 5, 2012 at 9:27 pm

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.)

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avatar 26 Ryan January 5, 2012 at 11:12 pm

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! :)

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avatar 27 Connie the Cookie Monster January 5, 2012 at 11:35 pm

HA i thought i would stop eating cookies too because I’ve had so many I actually started to crave vegetables. But I already had 5 cookies today, and the first one began at 9AM.

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avatar 28 Jo January 6, 2012 at 2:06 am

Looks lovely! I love the use of spices in baked goodies. Just a quick question: are these cookies chewy in texture??

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avatar 29 Jamie January 6, 2012 at 2:35 pm

Jo-
Yes, the cookies definitely have a chewy texture to them. Thanks for stopping by! Happy New Year to you!
-Jamie

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avatar 30 Katie January 6, 2012 at 2:10 am

Oh yum these look delicious. I love the flavours of chai. Never seen them used in a cookie quite like this before.

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avatar 31 Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers January 6, 2012 at 7:25 am

Super Yum! I’ve been secretly wanting to make cookies, and these look perfect! I can visualize myself sitting next to the fire, with a warm blanket around me with a big cup of hot cocoa and a bag plate of cookies! Sounds so relaxing! Ok, it wouldn’t happen that way, my dogs would attack me, eat my cookies, my Husband would be asking when dinner will be ready and my teen will be going on about her hair and to top it off, it would be a spare the air day! But still cookies makes everything better! :) Have a great Friday!

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avatar 32 Elizabeth January 6, 2012 at 8:46 am

Looks delicious!

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avatar 33 the tasty tRuth January 6, 2012 at 9:16 am

What is it about chai that’s so comforting? When I make my own chai latte for breakfast sometimes, I can feel the spices warming my whole system up. So chai spice cookies are a natural solution for cold midwestern nights, right? #diggingouttheelastic

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avatar 34 Deb January 6, 2012 at 10:53 am

Chai Snickerdoodles? OMG, how delightful. A perfect winter cookie with coffee or tea.

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avatar 35 Jackie January 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Hi there! These cookies look and sound amazing. Quick question: do you use salted or unsalted butter? TIA– if we weren’t already engaged, I suspect my boyfriend would propose to me if I made him these cookies. He LOVES chai spices! So I think making these for him is going to earn me some serious brownie–err, cookie– points. :)

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avatar 36 Jamie January 6, 2012 at 2:34 pm

Jackie-
I almost always use unsalted butter. I typically state that in the ingredient list, but clearly I was not on top of my game this time around! I’ll edit it just in case others have the same question. Thanks so much for stopping by – Happy New Year to you!
-Jamie

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avatar 37 Sharon January 6, 2012 at 1:45 pm

Are they a soft cookie?

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avatar 38 Jamie January 6, 2012 at 2:32 pm

Sharon-
Yes, they are a softer, chewy texture. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie

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avatar 39 Michele January 6, 2012 at 3:15 pm

Those look and sound delightful! Every day IS baking day.

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avatar 40 Leslie January 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm

Any chewy cookie is a cookie for me!

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avatar 41 Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry January 6, 2012 at 3:43 pm

Oh how I love chai and cookies. So both together? Sounds perfect! I will have to make this recipe with a good GF flour blend.

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avatar 42 Stephanie January 6, 2012 at 4:27 pm

This recipe showed up at the perfect time! I made them for a party last night and a guy actually got up front with the microphone and asked who made them and asked for the recipe! Everyone was talking about how great they were. Thank you!

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avatar 43 Deb @ knitstamatic January 6, 2012 at 9:08 pm

Beautiful! Chai spice cookies, how wonderful is that. I must add these cookies to my list.

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avatar 44 Julianna January 7, 2012 at 12:53 am

Oh my, these might just be the death of me! They look fantastic and sound even better! I might just have to pick up those few extra ingredients tomorrow! Thank you for sharing!

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avatar 45 Janet Fagnan January 7, 2012 at 2:03 am

WOW These are inspired! I really love the spices. I am going to give these at Christmas next year, along with some teas to go with them. Awesome!

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avatar 46 Tickled Red January 7, 2012 at 8:55 am

Awww darn. I’m so sorry that you had to make these chewy, nummy cookies again. I’ll come and help tou get rid of them if you need? ;D

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avatar 47 Tracy January 7, 2012 at 1:23 pm

I have been obsessed with chai for the past week, so I am all over these cookies! Yum!

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avatar 48 Danielle January 7, 2012 at 5:19 pm

Hi there! My friend and I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to make it because we love chai tea and sugar cookies. However, when we started mixing everything together, the texture did not become light and fluffy – it resembled that of apple crisp. We searched around for some other chai sugar cookie recipes, and decided to add the vegetable oil and milk that the other recipes had. We used 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, and 2 tbsp.of almond milk. It turned out great, and we even garnished the cookies with orange zest!

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avatar 49 Jamie January 9, 2012 at 9:37 pm

Danielle-
Thanks so much for your input – that’s kind of the beauty of recipes – you can adapt them and make them your own. However, I can assure you that this recipe works well as it is written. I have made them twice with great results as have quite a few readers. Happy New Year to you!
-Jamie

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avatar 50 Rachel September 21, 2012 at 11:59 pm

Just made these tonight. I had the same issue Danielle had at first, but then I added the oil and almond milk & had perfection. Will make all year long since I cook with these spices all the time. :-)

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avatar 51 Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray January 9, 2012 at 8:51 am

Oh yum, these look AMAZING!

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avatar 52 Ruby January 9, 2012 at 2:50 pm

These were so good!! The best part the recipe is easy and makes a lot of cookies!

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avatar 53 Brittany January 10, 2012 at 12:14 am

I love when you come across a yummy looking recipe and have all the ingredients on hand. I’ll be making these tomorrow! :)

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avatar 54 Tina S. January 10, 2012 at 10:17 am

I made these on Sunday and they are delicious! Kind of like jazzed up snickerdoodles. My husband wasn’t convinced of their deliciousness the day they were made, but mentioned when I got home last night that “they are better the 2nd day and actually really addicting” and had eaten 4 of them :) They definitely get better overnight. Thanks for the great recipe with ingredients that I always have!

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avatar 55 Ashley Nelson December 2, 2012 at 9:15 pm

Regular snickerdoodles are like that, too. They get better overnight!

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avatar 56 carol January 10, 2012 at 2:58 pm

These are DIVINE! Is the dough supposed to be so crumbly, though? It almost seemed as though it needed one more egg. Even with the crumbly dough, these are a favorite!! Thank you for sharing!!

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avatar 57 Kathleen Lockhart January 11, 2012 at 8:49 pm

Loved these. Made them this morning and my kids loved them. Thanks for sharing.

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avatar 58 Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction January 12, 2012 at 3:00 pm

I especially love chai spices this time of year… They just warm everything up. These cookies sound just perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea!

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avatar 59 Cassidy January 12, 2012 at 7:34 pm

Mine turned out really gooey for some reason and i baked them for 20 mins… oops!

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avatar 60 Annika January 13, 2012 at 9:39 am

Hi Jamie, thank you for the recipe. it sound lovely, I love chai and I’m going to try this as soon as I can. I only have a question first – what do you mean by “1/2 teaspoon ground allspice” – which kind of spice is that? I have “all round” spices here in Sweden, but they’re hot, chili like. I imagine it’s not the same. Do you think I could do without that specific ingredient? It seems it only adds to the other spices, so I’m hopeful. Thanks again!

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avatar 61 Angela January 13, 2012 at 10:12 am

Hi!
Thanks for the recipe. I am baking it right now and the first batch came out of the oven. One problem though. They don’t seem to have spread in the oven and they didn’t come out flat like yours did. I bought a new oven a couple of months ago so I don’t think it was that. And I did everything exactly like your recipe but the cookies are pretty thick.
Oh well. I’m sure they taste good.
Thanks though!

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avatar 62 Carol January 20, 2012 at 2:35 pm

Hello! Mine were really thick, too, and the dough was crumbly. I added an extra egg and they came out perfectly flat and chewy. Hope that helps!

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avatar 63 Nancy January 13, 2012 at 11:05 am

Home from school today, because it is a snow day, a teacher’s dream. Made these cookies. LOVE THEM! Next time I think I’ll bump up some of the spices, to have an even more intense flavor. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

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avatar 64 karen January 14, 2012 at 8:21 pm

just made these and they are wonderful! Followed directions to the T and they’re perfect. Thanks for the recipe!!!

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avatar 65 kje January 15, 2012 at 12:02 am

I have made this twice in the past week for two different groups… they are delish! I was never a fan of snickerdoodles as I find them rather boring and bland, but these are great. Thanks!

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avatar 66 Laura January 15, 2012 at 4:07 pm

I added a half teaspoon ground cloves and that was the added oomph of chai flavor

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avatar 67 Torey January 21, 2012 at 11:42 pm

OMG I am obsessed with Chai tea, especially the brand Big Train, so when I saw these I had to make them ASAP and they did not fail! The only changes I made were substituting butter for applesauce ( exact same amount), also I didn’t have cardamom so I just threw in a scoop of my Big Train chai mix and they turned out excellent!!! Thanks for a great treat!

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avatar 68 Ashley Reardon February 5, 2012 at 9:02 am

just making these now…i’m ready to put them in the oven but the dough is pretty crumbly. I’ve double-checked the ingredients and don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. Is it normally crumbly? I’m just not sure I’ll be able to form balls that will stick together.

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avatar 69 Jamie February 5, 2012 at 11:00 am

Ashley-
A couple of people have stated the dough is crumbly, my only guess would be the size of the eggs. Someone reported that they added an extra egg and they were perfect. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 70 Cheryl March 26, 2012 at 10:01 pm

Well I’m glad I read the comments…
I LOVE Chai spice so I was very excited to try this recipe. I did add the ground cloves and extra egg as my dough was super crumbly. I had to flatten them out a bit as they weren’t doing that on their own and I baked mine for 13 minutes. That being said they taste great even though they don’t look like the picture! (I just had the first one out of the oven)
Thanks!

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avatar 71 Carol March 28, 2012 at 4:08 am

Hi there, I am definately going to give these a go :)

Does anyone have a really nice chai Tea recipe too?

thanks
carol

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avatar 72 Pam April 6, 2012 at 8:24 pm

Found on Pinterest :) My dough was super separated, but I packed down some balls and threw them on the sheet as directed. They looked like they weren’t cooking, but 15 minutes in the oven and I pulled them out. They hardened up okay but didn’t settle in the oven so the shape I packed them in is the same shape they came out. Very nice flavor!

Batch 2 – added 1/3 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk & an egg. Cooked @ 10 minutes, again did not look like they were actually cooking but I pulled them out. They also didn’t settle (flatten) much in the oven; they weren’t as sweet due to diluting the dough w/ the milk & extra egg.

Batch 3 – same dough, but flattened by spoon onto cookie sheet. Perfection :)

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avatar 73 Elizabeth September 29, 2012 at 4:44 pm

These are so good, like snickerdoddles but more flavorful. The different spices make them unique and interesting

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avatar 74 Jamie October 1, 2012 at 7:08 pm

Elizabeth-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! Have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 75 Erin October 13, 2012 at 5:21 am

Just made these and they taste great. I halved the recipe (still using 1 large egg) and my dough was perfect. After rolling, I flattened cookies with the bottom of a glass ~ produced great looking cookies that taste even better! This is a definite keeper! Next time I would kick up the spices a bit, but other than that, fantastic recipe. Thank You for sharing!

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avatar 76 Jamie October 14, 2012 at 2:17 pm

Erin-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for leaving your feedback! Have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 77 Ashley Nelson December 2, 2012 at 9:09 pm

Oh my goodness! These look SO good! I was actually looking for an eggnog cookie recipe for a cookie exchange later this week. Umm… Yeah, I’m making these instead. :)

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avatar 78 Anne December 21, 2012 at 11:55 pm

These were amazing! Double batch will be happening tomorrow!

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avatar 79 MBA December 26, 2012 at 9:26 am

Anne-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 80 Alanna January 3, 2013 at 1:39 pm

Absolutely gorgeous cookies. The spice combination sounds incredible! Love love love your photography. :) And I’m glad to know I’m not the only one baking cookies in early January. :)

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avatar 81 Priscilla January 11, 2013 at 7:02 pm

When I found the recipe on Punchfork, lemon zest and lemon juice were listed as ingredients but I don’t see them being used in the recipe. Did I miss something? I have all of my ingredients ready for action and my mouth is watering!

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avatar 82 MBA January 17, 2013 at 5:06 pm

Priscilla-
There is no lemon zest and lemon juice in this particular recipe. There is none listed in the ingredients or the directions, so I am not sure why they were listed elsewhere. Sorry about the confusion and have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 83 Betty R. February 4, 2013 at 1:40 pm

I found these on Pinterest quite awhile ago & made them yesterday while the Super Bowl was on. Obviously, I could have cared less about the game, but hubby watched. I absolutely love Starbucks chai tea latte, so I knew I would love these. They did not disappoint me. I had no problems. They held together fine, easy to shape in balls, I did flatten them with the bottom of a glass. Baked 8 min. Perfect! I might try to make them even spicier next time. I like my chai with an extra shot of chai. Thank you for my new favorite!

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avatar 84 Jamie February 4, 2013 at 7:51 pm

Betty-
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies! :) Thanks so much for stopping by and reporting your feedback!
-Jamie

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avatar 85 MBA December 16, 2012 at 8:20 pm

I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie

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