Chai sugar cookies with eggnog glaze might just be the perfect Christmas cookie.
(11/5/16 Update) Hey all, this post is one of the very earliest posts on Baking Mischief, so I gave it a little face lift. I updated the photos, cleaned up the text, and edited the recipe for clarity. I also upped the amount of eggnog glaze on the chai sugar cookies by 50 percent, because I always felt it got a little thin by the time you finished decorating. This means the calories have also been adjusted.
I did leave one older photo for posterity, so if you’d like a little blast from iPhone Christmas past, scroll all the way to the bottom of the post. 🙂
Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie, like Hot Chocolate Cookies maybe or Butterscotch Shortbread Thumbprints perhaps? To be honest, growing up, I never did. Then last year I was made aware of these chai sugar cookies by a certain someone, maybe you’ve heard of her, just my imaginary BFF, Taylor Swift.
T-Swifty (in my imagination, we have affectionate nicknames for each other) has given me many things over the years: some great music, a few really entertaining memes, the disturbingly strong desire to wear adorable, retro, belly-button-covering bikinis–some of those gifts were better than others.
But last year, with a single Tumblr post, Taylor gave me the greatest gift one could ever hope to receive from a pop star: the recipe for the perfect Christmas cookie.
Guys, snickerdoodles are a classic (even better if you make them snickerdoodle sandwich cookies and throw in some eggnog buttercream), the store-bought sugar cookies we all decorated as kids are evergreen, but chai sugar cookies with eggnog icing? These things are a Christmas party in your mouth.
The cookies themselves are just a little bit crunchy and the chai is the perfect complement to the eggnog glaze that’s just waiting there to remind you, hey, it’s Christmas.
So thank you, Taylor. I may hate the way the lob you helped inspire me to cut my hair into this summer is growing out, but we will always have our perfect Christmas cookie.
Chai Sugar Cookie Recipe Notes
- This recipe calls for a chai tea packet to be added directly to your cookie batter. Make sure you are using one with fairly finely chopped fragments (you don’t want giant crunchy bits in your cookies!). I’ve used both Tazo* and Twinings (their decaff is my chai of choice) brands with great success.
- These cookies SPREAD when baked. You can fit them on two cookie sheets, but the edges will end up touching. If you want perfectly round cookies for gifting or serving to guests, bake them in 3 batches.
Chai Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Glaze
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup (4oz) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 chai tea packet cut open*
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup (180g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons eggnog or milk
Instructions
Cookies
- Using a stand mixer, beat butter until creamed. Add the oil and mix on medium for about thirty seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla, and the contents of the chai tea packet. Mix on medium until everything is incorporated.
- On low, mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
- Refrigerate dough for about 1 hour until firm enough to handle.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease well.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough (just over 1 ounce) onto your cookie sheet, 8 to a sheet (these cookies spread!). With the palm of your hand, flatten dough until it is 1/4-inch thick. For more uniform-looking cookies, roll your dough into balls before you flatten them.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just lightly golden. Cool completely before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and eggnog, whisk together until well-combined. If glaze is too thick, continue to add liquid 1/4 teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Spread 1 heaping teaspoon of glaze on each cooled cookie.
Chai Sugar Cookies Nutritional Information
Adapted from Taylor Swift, and The Pastry Queen* via Joy the Baker
Original Post Photo, circa 2015 (iPhone 5)
Kim says
This is my favorite Christmas cookie – I have been making it for multiple years, and, look forward to them all year. Such a good idea to double the eggnog in the glaze – I could really taste the difference.
Jennifer O says
QUESTION: Will the frosting harden like normal sugar cookie glaze? I need to stack the cookies in a gift bag.
Tracy says
Hi, Jennifer, it sets, but it doesn’t set hard like royal icing. You can still dent it. I stack these in cookie boxes all the time, but I probably wouldn’t wrap them stacked in plastic gift bags for multiple days because I worry the moisture trapped between the cookies would start to make the glaze wet and sticky. Hope that answers your question!
Lori says
Hi Tracy, can this dough be frozen for later use? If so, how long can it be frozen for? Loving your recipes!
Tracy says
Hi, Lori. Yes, these can be frozen, but you’ll want to defrost the dough before baking enough to be able to flatten it a little (as described in the recipe) otherwise you get fluffy rather than flat cookies. The dough will last in the freezer up to 3 months. Another option, if you’re just looking to make these for yourself/family, the baked and frosted cookies actually freeze really well and are even good eaten right out of the freezer.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Gorgeous cookies, Tracy. Love this combo of chai and eggnog. This snickerdoodle fan is smiling.
Tracy says
Thanks! I’m eyeballs deep in snickerdoodles today for a future post and am happy as a clam. 🙂
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
These look delicious!! I have to admit that the idea of drinking eggnog icks me out, but having them in a glaze on a cookie sounds totally doable and tasty. Love the blog, by the way. I see you launched on Dec. 1. I only officially launched a couple of months ago 🙂 It’s scary and exciting being so new!
Tracy says
I completely know what you mean! I don’t think I could ever make homemade eggnog because then I’d have to think about what’s in it. I usually have a big sip of it every year and that’s enough for me. But I LOVE it in these cookies.
I never would have guessed that you just started your site! It looks so established and put together. I agree, it’s absolutely terrifying, but so much fun.
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
Thank you! I gathered a few months of posts before I launched. I’m still finding my footing and learning something new pretty much every single day. I find photography the most challenging part!!
Tracy says
Agreed! The coding and web stuff came back to me pretty quick, but the photography is just killing me. I guess that’s what makes it fun, right?