Taylor Swift's Chai Cookies but BETTER!
Let’s make Taylor Swifts famous Chai Sugar cookie recipe but with a Chef Danielle twist! These cookies are soft and buttery and are infused with chai tea which has beautiful warmth and spice. I made these cookies even better by adding a few ounces of almond paste to this dough to give them the perfect chew! The sweet almond flavor compliments the earthy notes of the tea and spices perfectly. The dough is really easy to throw together, but be sure to refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before baking to get the best texture possible. The cookies are topped with a cinnamon and nutmeg infused glaze that I also like to add vanilla and a drop of lemon juice to to really amplify all the flavors. The super soft texture of these cookies is addictive and nostalgic as they remind me of an elevated version of those packaged loft house cookies! I honestly can’t get enough of those cheap cookies no matter how old I get. Although I don’t consider myself a “Swiftie” per say I do appreciate her talents and do find myself bopping around the house to her debut, self titled album from 2006…i’m sorry but “Our Song” will just never get old. Makes me feel like im 16 again..sigh.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough-
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz almond paste, broken up into small pieces (I prefer Solo brand)
½ cup white granulated sugar
⅓ cup powdered sugar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 chai tea bag
Icing
1 cup powered sugar
2 Tbsp milk (add a little at a time)
Drop of fresh lemon juice
Drop of pure vanilla extract
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Steps-
Beat together the sugar, powdered sugar and almond paste until smooth and the almond paste is moslty broken up. Add in the vegetable oil and vanilla and beat until everything is blended, light and fluffy. Then, add in the egg and mix just until combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and tea ( open up the tea bag and dump in the whole thing in!).
Scoop the dough into about 2.5 tablespoon size balls, roll them in your hands and then flatten them slightly with your hand on a parchment lined sheet tray. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (convection preferred).
Place the cookie dough rounds on parchment lined trays at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes. The cookies should be slightly golden on the bottoms and very edges but the centers will be very light in color. The tops make also start to crack very slightly.
Cool completely, about 15-20 minutes while you make the icing.
Combine the powdered sugar, drop of lemon juice and vanilla, the nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add a splash of milk at a time and stir until smooth. Icing should be viscous, but not thin enough to run off the cookies. it will look fairly opaque.
Gently dip the tops of the cookies in the icing allowing the excess to run off,, or use a spoon to spread some icing on top of each cookie.
Allow icing to harden completely before plating or serving. Enjoy with a cup of tea and blast your favorite T-Swift tune!
