Best Ever Chai Cookies with Vanilla Bean Glaze
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Chai Cookies. What can I say? I love you.
Perfectly sweet, buttery, freezer friendly, and full of warm classic chai spices. As if that’s not enough, we also topped them off generously with vanilla bean glaze. It’s like a snickerdoodle cookie but even better.
Each bite tastes like the holidays and you’ll be able to find me snacking on one with a warm cup of coffee all Fall/Winter long.
The homemade chai spice blend is super easy to make and I bet you have all of the spices in your pantry already. No actual chai tea will be added into the recipe but I bet these would be delicious dunked in a chai tea latte. Like a chai flavor explosion, YUM!
We’re pretty obsessed with cookies over here. This recipe is similar to these popular funfetti cookies, I’ve simply made a few tweaks to make them chai flavored. It all started with Kroll’s Kookies last year, and since then I’ve been making cookies like a crazy lady. Let’s just say my friends and family aren’t mad about the cookie deliveries!
- First off, do we really need a reason?!
- They are perfectly soft and cake-y.
- Full of delicious, warm chai spices.
- They bake beautifully and smell SO GOOD.
- You can whip up a batch quickly, no chill time required.
- They are an epic cookie to enjoy all Fall/Winter long!
Grab your ingredients and let’s do this!
Ingredient Notes
You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Chai Spice Blend: I’m using a combination of: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. Black pepper is used in some chai blends but I am not adding any into these cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and be sure it’s leveled. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need.
- Spoon and level by using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level off the top of it.
- Cake Flour:Cake flour is finer, softer and lighter than All-Purpose Flour and I find using a mix of both cake flour and All-Purpose results in the perfect cookies.
- You can find Cake flour in most grocery stores, usually on the top shelf.
- Corn Starch: Seems weird to add cornstarch to cookies, right? But cornstarch is key to giving cookies that delectably soft center that’s just to die for. It also helps to keep the cookies thick and GIANT!
- Butter: Cold, unsalted butter is used in this recipe. Not melted or frozen or room temperature. Cold butter straight from the fridge. It might feel weird to not let the butter soften, but this cookie is best with cold butter.
- Salt: Don’t forget the salt! Salt is so great in baking because it intensifies the body’s ability to taste the sweetness of the sugar. Yum! We want that.
Step by Step Directions
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars together
- Then add in the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract and blend until mixed.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture until ingredients are incorporated.
- Measure out 6-7 large cookies. Or make smaller if preferred.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in the remaining chai spice/sugar mixture.
- Place on baking sheet & bake cookies for ~10-11 minutes.
- Once cooled, pour vanilla bean glaze over cookies.
Expert Tips
- No chilling required! Don’t you just love a no chill cookie recipe? These cookies will not flatten out like pancakes, they stay nice and sturdy even without the chill time. Woo!
- Use a mix of both All-Purpose flour and cake flour: I’ve tested without cake flour and the cookie is more dense. It’s still delicious, but I just love the cake-y center when using a combination of both flours.
- Let the cookies rest: If your cookies are turning out too gooey, let them rest longer. I recommend at least 15 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They are even better if you let them sit and enjoy the next day. Your cookies aren’t ruined, just let them rest!
- Add an extra egg yolk: It’s just science. Adding in 1 whole egg (egg + white), plus an extra egg yolk (with no white) results in a chewy, delicious, amazing cookie.
- You can make the cookies smaller. Adjust baking time as needed.
- You can make homemade cake flour if you can’t find it in stores. Homemade cake flour: 14 Tbsp. All-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp. corn starch. Mix these together and sift them twice to get them fully mixed and aerated. This will make ~1 cup flour, so you’ll need a bit more than that for this recipe. Double it, and use again for another use!
- Don’t flatten the cookies prior to baking, keep them in a ball.
FAQ
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. chai spice blend, divided (recipe below)
- 16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cubed (1 cup butter)
- 1 cup sugar (+ 1 Tbsp. for rolling)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Chai Spice Blend
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tbsp. milk (plus more as needed)
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the chai spice blend in a small bowl.2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. cardamom, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cloves
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, cake flour, corn starch, 1 heaping tablespoon chai spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. chai spice blend, divided (recipe below)
- Place the cubed butter and sugars into the bowl of a stand mixture and secure the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on and cream until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cubed (1 cup butter), 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- Add in the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract and blend until mixed. Use a rubber spatula to knock off mixture if any is sticking to the sides of the bowl and mix again.2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, about 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until incorporated.
- Roll cookie dough into ~6-7 large balls, or smaller if preferred to get ~20-22 cookies.
- Add 1 Tbsp. sugar to the remaining chai spice and roll the cookie dough balls in the chai spice mixture.
- Place on baking sheet & bake cookies for ~10-11 minutes for the large cookies or ~8-10 minutes for the smaller cookies. Cool cookies completely before glazing.
- For the glaze: Place sifted confectioners’ sugar in a medium sized bowl and add milk and vanilla bean paste. Mix until all of the sugar is incorporated. Add additional milk as needed; glaze should be on the thick side. Spoon glaze over cookies or dunk cookies in glaze. Allow glaze to dry, then enjoy.1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 Tbsp. milk (plus more as needed), 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
Video
Notes
- Let the cookies rest: If your cookies are turning out too gooey, let them rest longer. I recommend at least 15 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They are even better if you let them sit and enjoy the next day. Your cookies aren’t ruined, just let them rest!
- You can make the cookies smaller. Adjust baking time as needed.
- Storage: Stored properly in an air-tight container at room temperature they will last for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend storing in the refrigerator because they will go stale much faster and lose their quality quickly.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
I just want to clarify – between the regular flour and cake flour this recipe calls for 4 entire cups of flour. Is that correct? I see many people are complaining of their cookies turning out too dry. That would also be over a half cup of flour per cookie.
that’s correct – yes. Most people measure their flour wrong which is why some say they’re dry. You can make really giant cookies, or make them smaller and adjust baking time.
Hi! Could I freeze this dough? If so, would I do it before or after I do the cinnamon sugar/chai topping? Thank you!
Hello! Yes, of course! Freeze the cookie dough, then when you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Let them thaw just a little bit so that the coating will stick. After 30 minutes, roll the dough balls in the chai sugar mixture 🙂
I have made these so many times and they’re always amazing! So easy and they come out so pretty! I think the serving size of 7 would make some enormous cookies. I make mine smaller and get about 20, but in any case they’re so good and even better the next day or two.
Thank you soo much 🙂 I know, those giant gourmet sized cookies are a bit overwhelming, I like to make them smaller too and just adjust the baking time a tad. So glad you like them – thank you!!
A super fun fall treat! I’m starting to venture into the world of baking and I will say this recipe is kind of a “hard” level recipe – which ended up being a great learning experience for me! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a stand mixer so I used a hand one which the thick dough ended up breaking it 🙁 the FAQ says you can use a hand mixer but just be aware, it’s doable but not going to go super well. I made smaller versions and 8 minutes was perfect! Some of the cookies ended up quite crumbly and dry despite spooning the flour and levelling, so I’m not sure there. The glaze turned out great and was super fun to make! I’d make these again but not until I invest in a stand mixer.
Hi Taylor! Thanks for trying out my recipe 🙂 Ah yes, stand mixers are able to churn through doughs and handle mixing quite a bit better than a hand mixer thanks to it’s powerful motors. However, this recipe should have turned out just fine, you may have needed the butter to soften a bit so the hand mixer could break it up a little more easily but that’s the only thing I can think of. Sometimes if a cookie dough is really thick, I like to add in a splash of milk and it helps add some moisture to the cookie dough. I am glad it was still fun to make and you enjoyed it, thank you!! 🙂
Hi! I’ve used some of your cookie recipes and LOVE them! I’m trying to find a really good pumpkin chai spice cookie recipe to bake for my son and was hoping I could incorporate pumpkin puree to this recipe to get there. (This cookie recipe sounds amazing!) Do you think it would work? Would I need to adjust anything to account for it? Thank you!
Hi hi! thank you so much 🙂 I am wondering if you made this recipe: https://krollskorner.com/recipes/desserts/cookies/chocolate-chunk-pumpkin-cookies/ and added chai spice??
Oooo! I read over it and it sounds just the ticket. And you can never go wrong with brown butter! I’m going to try it this week and be sure and let you know how it comes out. Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly.
yay! cant wait to hear how it goes 🙂 thank you!
By far one of the best cookies I’ve ever made! Came out perfectly soft with not one bit of dryness. Tastes are addicting. Would highly recommend!
Thank you so much Kara! 🙂
The PERFECT CHAI COOKIES! a new favorite that will make every autumn!
thank you so much 🙂
I’m honestly kind of disappointed?
I’m not sure what I did wrong but they did not turn out as cookies, more as bread or scones which is fine, but they were really very dry.
Other than that the flavours are amazing, but they did not flatten, and and stayed in clumps of dough.
They are a thick cakey style of cookie. One of my friends calls them biscuits lol but if you didn’t spoon and level the flour it can change the texture. You can try slightly flattened them. But they’re a thick cookie, not the thin and flat type. I’m sorry about that!
Very dry cookie, not sure what went wrong.
Dang it! So sorry. Did you spoon and level the flour?
This receipt is IT. Sooo good with an amazing fall flavor. Definitely will make these again. I doubled the recipe and dumped the entire spice blend into my flour and rolled them in a cinnamon sugar mix. So yummy!