Snickerdoodles have always been my favorite cookie next to the classic chocolate chip cookie. If you’re unfamiliar with snickerdoodles, they’re a basic cookie dought base made with butter, sugar, egg, and flour but what sets them apart is the cream of tartar (both for lift and flavor) and the additional step of being rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture before baking. They’re absolutely delicious and just when I thought they couldn’t be beat….
These chai snickerdoodle cookies have all the classic flavors of your favorite snickerdoodles but packed with even more flavor. Cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and loose chai tea leaves all enhance the flavor. The cookies are chewy, soft, and thick. The cream of tartar is key to both their classic snickerdoodle taste and a lovely lift and softness to the cookies. They’re the ultimate Fall cookie, bringing warmth and a comforting aroma into your home.
The key to making these cookies so good is the time they spend chilling in the refrigerator. I always groan when I realize a cookie recipe calls for chilling before baking but with cookies as flavorful as these, the added step is critical. The chilling allows for the flavors to really absorb into the cookie dough. While these cookies are bursting with flavor, they’re not overly spicy but if you are sensitive, you can always dial down the spice level to your taste. I’d start by halving what I call for if you’re spice-adverse. If you’re accustomed to eating Fall bakes with warm spices, then leave as is. 🙂
The other thing worth noting about this recipe is the bake time. Because the spices add rich color to the cookie dough, it can be tempting to keep them in the oven longer than they need to be, simply because it’s harder to detect their browning. I would not bake for over 11 minutes. Anything over 11 minutes changes the texture of the cookie from chewy to crisp and some of the flavor gets lost as well. When you remove them from the oven, keep them on their baking pan for a minute or two and you will see that they sink a little in the centers and create these very appealing lifted edges, like any bakery cookie would. They also firm while they cool. After sitting on the pan for a couple minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
They taste as good, if not better than they smell — which by the way, wafts wonderfully through your home. Enjoy with a hot cup of chai or even consider making these for your holiday cookie exchange.
For a super quick snickerdoodle fix try these easy, made and ready within 30 minutes Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars and for my favorite Chai Pear Scones.
Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies
These chai snickerdoodle cookies have all the classic flavors of your favorite snickerdoodles but packed with even more flavor. Cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and loose chai tea leaves all enhance the flavor. The cookies are chewy, soft, and thick. The cream of tartar is key to both their classic snickerdoodle taste and a lovely lift and softness to the cookies. They're the ultimate Fall cookie, bringing warmth and a comforting aroma into your home.
Dough
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 2 tbsp. Loose chai tea leaves (I cut and emptied 4 chai tea bags with ground chai)
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon (ground)
- 1/2 tsp. Cardamom (ground)
- 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice (ground; all-spice or cloves work too)
- 1/4 tsp. Ginger (ground)
- 1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
Rolling Mixture
- 2 tbsp. Sugar
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon (ground)
- 1/4 tsp. Cardamom (ground)
- 1/4 tsp. Ginger (ground)
- 1/4 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice (ground; all-spice or cloves work too)
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand-mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Scape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, chai tea, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.
Create ~2 tbsp. sized mounds on a lined baking sheet. Then flatten the mounds about halfway. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Overnight is preferable to really marry the flavors.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Create the rolling topping by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Dredge each cookie dough with the sugar and spices mixture.
Bake about 2 inches apart for ~11 minutes. Do not over-bake, as tempting as it is. They will firm as they cool.
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks.
A Bee Bakes 