Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles

cooling rack of big snickerdoodle cookies.

Print Pin

4.96 from 45 votes

Super soft snickerdoodle cookies with warming chai spices!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 28

Servings cookies

Calories 136kcal

Author Tracy

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened salted or unsalted, see recipe notes
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs room temperature
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons chai spice
1/4 teaspoon salt (only if using unsalted butter)

Sugar Coating

1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons chai spice

Instructions

Take butter and eggs out of the fridge at least 60 minutes before you're ready to bake to soften butter and bring eggs to room temperature (or, see recipe notes).
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, mix flour with cream of tartar, baking soda, chai spice, (and salt if using unsalted butter), and whisk so that it is all well combined.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar coating and set aside.
In a large bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Use a hand mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) on low speed and mix butter and sugar together until just combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Add one egg at a time, mix in with butter and sugar until just combined, then add second egg. Beat/mix until eggs are just incorporated, do not overbeat. Only about 15-30 seconds for each egg.
Slowly add flour mixture to creamed butter, sugar, and eggs, about 1/3 of the mixture at a time. Use a spatula to scrape the butter and sugar off of the edges of the bowl and fold down into flour mixture and mix. Then use a large spoon to mix it all together before adding next 1/3 amount of the flour mixture until all flour is mixed into a dough.
Roll out 1-2 inch balls in the palm of your hand, or use a cookie scoop. Roll the ball in the sugar coating, ensuring it's all well coated.
Place coated cookie dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake in middle rack for 9 minutes.
Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Video

Notes

Storing:

On Counter: Let cookies cool completely and then you can store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Freeze: Store in a freezer safe bag/container for up to 3 months.

Make Ahead:

Dough: You can prepare the dough ahead of time and store in fridge for up to 2 days.

Dough Balls: You can roll out the cookie dough balls and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store uncoated and then let cookie dough balls come back up to room temp before coating and baking.

Substitutions:

Butter: Use salted or unsalted. If using unsalted add 1/4 salt. If using salted butter, do not add any additional salt.

Flour: You can use a gluten free flour like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour.

Chai Spice: Make your own with this recipe, or buy a pre-made chai spice blend. We do not use a chai spice tea blend because these contain black tea.

Ground Cinnamon: We actually love this coating with a fresh grated cinnamon, too! For that, increase the cinnamon to 1 tablespoon and reduce the chai spice to 1 teaspoon as the fresh ground cinnamon isn't as prominent a flavor and will really let the chai spice blend shine.

Cream of Tartar: Don't. :)

Chai Spice Level:

This recipe is for a strong flavored chai cookie. The quickest way to adjust the flavor is to reduce it in the cinnamon sugar coating. See below for our spice level notes.

Medium Chai: Add only 2 teaspoons to the dough and for the cinnamon and sugar coating, up the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons with 1 teaspoon chai.

Hint of Chai: Add only 1 teaspoon of chai spice to the dough and then 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and sugar coating.

Nutrition