Easy Chai & Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe | Postcard from My Kitchen | San Diego Lifestyle Photographer

“Sugar and spice and everything nice. That’s what girls are made of…”  (And chai and vanilla sugar cookies).

For a few years I gave up coffee and started drinking chai tea instead.  I was introduced to the aromatic, spicy tea by Trish, my coworker who would later become  one of my best friends. It became a morning ritual: we  would both start our days off making authentic chai tea together using strong black tea, milk, sugar, and a generous pinch of chai masala before tackling the long work day.  She gave me the idea of adding chai masala (a blend of about 5 different spices that flavors our chai) to sugar cookies. The outcome? A delectable cookie with sweet and spicy notes — perfect for holiday baking .  I made these chai and vanilla sugar cookies for a cookie exchange and they were a hit! I love how easy it is since I don’t have to bake from from scratch–instead I use Betty Crocker’s sugar cookie mix. There’s only 5 main ingredients for this easy recipe!  I want to try different variations of this chai cookie recipe…maybe even add some coffee to the batter for “dirty chai” cookies. For now, read on for the super simple recipe and directions on how to make these easy chai & vanilla sugar cookies.

Easy Chai & Vanila Sugar Cookies

Recipe Yields: ~20 medium sized cookies depending on how many you eat before they’re completely cool.  I think I ate about three cookies before the last batch was in the oven. I had to make sure each batch passed “inspection.”

Ingredients:

• 2.5 teaspoons Chai Masala*
• 1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
•  ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg

*I bought my chai masala in a local indian grocery store, but it can also be found online.  Once you’re on their website, type in: “Nirav  Tea Masala”.  Or, you can blend your own Chai Masala Spice:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dry ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• a pinch of ground cloves
• a pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. In a large bowl, stir in cookie mix, chai masala, butter, vanilla, and egg until very soft dough forms.

2.) Shape the dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place ungreased parchment paper on cookie sheets, then place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart.

3.) Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.

4.) Let the cookies stand for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack or a plate with a spatula.

Happy Holidays! I hope you love these chai and vanilla sugar cookies as much as I do. Be sure to tell me how they turn out!
xoxo,