Description
These Vanilla Chai Shortbread Cookies combine the warm, aromatic spices of chai tea with buttery, crumbly shortbread for a delightful treat. Infused with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, and allspice, these slice-and-bake cookies are easy to prepare and perfect for paired icing for added sweetness and flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter (227g), cold and cubed
- 2 teaspoons chai tea leaves (or 2 bags of Tazo Chai)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream the butter and spices: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 1 cup cold, cubed unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons chai tea leaves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground clove, and ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice until well combined and fragrant.
- Add powdered sugar: Add ½ cup powdered sugar to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated, ensuring the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add flour and form dough: Gradually add 2 cups all-purpose flour a little at a time, mixing continuously for about 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will appear dry and crumbly initially but will come together into a soft, Play-Doh-like consistency.
- Shape dough into log: Transfer the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment to help, shape and roll the dough into a log approximately 11.5 to 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.
- Chill the dough: Chill the dough log in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight or even several days to enhance the flavor.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the dough log: Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough log into 24 cookies, about just under ½-inch thick slices. Place the cookies on the baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart. Optionally, roll the bottom edges on the pan to smooth any frayed cuts and shape cookies more rounded if desired.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the icing: Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon until smooth.
- Ice the cookies: Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the icing, allowing excess to drip off. Use a spoon along the edge to remove extra icing. Place iced cookies on wax paper and allow icing to set until hardened.
Notes
- The slice-and-bake method is easier than rolling out and cutting individual cookies.
- Allowing the dough to chill improves the depth of flavor.
- Using whole spices in the chai blend adds a rich, complex flavor to the cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
