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Soft bakery-style chai cookies with light chai glaze arranged on a cream ceramic plate with cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and loose tea leaves on a bright neutral background.
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Chai Cookies

Soft, chewy, warmly spiced chai cookies inspired by masala chai tea. These bakery-style cookies are filled with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black tea flavor, then finished with a light chai glaze for the perfect cozy dessert.
Course Cookies, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Fusion-Inspired
Keyword cardamom cookies, chai cookies, chai latte cookies, chai spice cookies, chewy chai cookies, cozy fall cookies, glazed chai cookies, masala chai cookies, soft chai cookies, spiced tea cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 18 large cookies
Calories 200kcal
Cost $7 for entire recipe

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Kitchen scale (optional but recommended)
  • Rubber spatula
  • Whisk
  • cookie scoop
  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • wire cooling rack
  • small bowl for glaze
  • Spoon or piping bag for drizzling glaze

Ingredients

Chai Cookies

  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 255g
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • Small pinch ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter softened but still cool
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon chai tea concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 1 chai tea bag cut open (optional)

Optional Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Chai Glaze

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chai tea concentrate
  • 1 ½ teaspoons milk or heavy cream
  • Pinch ground cinnamon
  • Tiny pinch ground cardamom
  • Splash vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Brew a strong chai tea concentrate and let it cool completely.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, chai concentrate, milk, and optional chai tea leaves. Mix until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
  • Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Combine the optional cinnamon sugar coating ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Scoop the dough into large 2-tablespoon portions. Roll lightly in cinnamon sugar if desired.
  • Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
  • For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, chai concentrate, milk, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Drizzle the glaze lightly over the cooled cookies.

Notes

Use Strong Chai Concentrate for the Best Flavor

For the richest chai flavor, brew the tea stronger than you normally would for drinking. A concentrated chai tea adds authentic black tea flavor and helps the cookies taste like a true chai latte instead of just a spice cookie. Let the concentrate cool completely before adding it to the dough.

Fresh Spices Make a Huge Difference

Fresh cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger create a warmer and more aromatic cookie. Cardamom loses flavor quickly over time, so using fresher spices gives these chai cookies a more vibrant bakery-style flavor.

Chill the Dough Before Baking

Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes helps prevent overspreading and creates thick chewy chai cookies with soft centers and crisp edges. The chill time also allows the spice flavors to deepen.

Slightly Underbake for Soft Cookies

The cookies should still look slightly soft in the center when removed from the oven. They continue baking on the hot pan while cooling, which helps create the perfect chewy texture.

Optional Tea Leaves Add Extra Chai Flavor

For deeper tea flavor, you can mix the contents of one chai tea bag directly into the dough. This adds subtle tea aroma throughout the cookies and creates a more authentic chai dessert flavor.

The Glaze Should Be Light

A thin drizzle of chai glaze works best for balancing sweetness and spice. Too much glaze can overpower the warm chai flavors and buttery cookie texture.

Make-Ahead Friendly

The dough can be chilled overnight before baking, which actually improves the flavor. You can also freeze the dough balls and bake directly from frozen with an extra 1 to 2 minutes of baking time.