A soft and chewy sugar cookie speckled with cozy chai spices and dipped in an eggnog glaze. This internet-famous Taylor Swift chai cookie deserves a spot in your cookies box because it's simple to make and the flavors give off the coziest holiday vibes.
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It's no secret Taylor Swift is a trendsetter. Of the many trends she's started, her chai cookies might be my favorite. We're suckers for chai-flavored everything (case in point chai whoopie pies and white chocolate chai blondies). We knew we needed to tackle taylor swift’s chai cookies. She originally modified Joy the Baker's vanilla sugar cookies with chai spices and eggnog icing to make some epic chai sugar cookies.
Why You'll Love Our Taylor Swift Chai Cookies
We took the basic flavors and concept of the viral recipe and put our own twist on it. The cookie base is a mix between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle. The chai spices inside and outside of the dough give it that extra chai element. The homemade eggnog icing features ground nutmeg and real eggnog for the final touch. You don't have to be a huge swiftie to be a huge fan of this chai sugar cookie recipe.
- Just like classic snickerdoodles, they're soft and chewy.
- This dough doesn't need to chill.
- They stay soft for days, making them great for a holiday cookie box.
- They're trendy and cool (T-swift duh).
So what are ya waiting for? Turn on her new album and get baking this holiday season!
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients to make Taylor Swift Chai Cookies. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Flour: we tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and 1:1 gluten-free (Bob's Red Mill) and both worked well.
- Leavens: this cookie dough relies on both baking soda and baking powder to help them rise. Make sure your ingredients are not expired for the best results.
- Unsalted butter: we always use quality butter when we're baking cookies. You can also use vegan butter to keep them dairy-free.
- Sugar: for sweetness and texture.
- Chai spices: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, salt and black pepper.
- Eggs: large eggs are best for baking. We're using an egg and an egg yolk for an extra chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract: we always have this on hand so it's easy, but if you're feeling fancy go ahead and use a real vanilla bean.
- Eggnog icing: eggnog (can sub milk), confectioners' sugar, and nutmeg (optional).
Chai Tea Bag or Chai Spices?
Taylor’s version of the recipe calls for a chai tea packet. However, a packet of chai tea is mostly comprised of black tea with a bit of spice. Using the actual spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and allspice will give you a deep chai flavor. I recommend using the spices over the crushed tea, however, the tea will work in a pinch. You can add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg if you have those on hand.
Start By Mixing the Chai Spices
The chai spices will be mixed in the sugar cookie dough first, then the dough is rolled in extra chai sugar coating, similar to rolling a snickerdoodle in granulated sugar or our giant ginger cookies in sparkling sugar.
Add all of the spices and granulated sugar to a medium bowl and toss it quickly. Remove ⅓ cup of the mixture to a separate small bowl to roll the cookie dough into before baking.
How to Make Taylor Swift Chai Cookies
Here are the simple steps to make Taylor Swift Chai Cookies with photos. Jump down to the recipe card for the full recipe and video.
Make the cookie dough after you mix the chai sugar. You'll use the remaining sugar mixture to cream the butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature. This does not mean soft and warm. Butter should sit out for 1-2 hours to achieve the correct firmness. It should leave a small indent when you push into it and feel cool to the touch (about 60°F).
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until combined and no yellow streaks remain. Whisk the dry ingredients together then slowly add it to the cookie dough mixture. Start on low speed then increase to medium speed after each addition until it's combined. The dough should be thick.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and roll a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball. Roll it in the reserved chai sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart.
The best part of this recipe is that there's no chilling required. Most sugar cookie dough, like our dairy-free gluten-free sugar cookies, require a few hours of chilling to keep the cookies from spreading. This cookie dough can go right into the oven.
Bake the cookies for 10 ish minutes, until they're soft and puffy. They will spread a bit, but they should be thick and chewy, like these brown butter oatmeal cookies.
Eggnog Icing
We're massive fans of the eggnog frosting on our melt-in-your-mouth eggnog cookies, however, we're going for more of an icing texture on top of the cookies. The icing should set and harden on the top of the cookies after a few minutes. Another difference in the icing is that we dip the cookies upside down into the icing to get a perfectly smooth surface, rather than spreading it on.
The icing should be thick. You're going to think you didn't add enough eggnog (or milk) to the powdered sugar at first. Keep stirring, it will come together. Add just a tiny bit more eggnog as needed, it's better to be too thick than too thin.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: this includes the butter and eggs. The butter needs to be at the correct temperature to reach the desired thick and chewy texture. The cookies will flatten and spread if the butter is too warm. Adding cold eggs to the room temperature butter and sugar is also not ideal. It will cool the butter down and change the texture.
- Use a cookie scoop: get the cookies the same size so they bake evenly.
- Don't add extra eggnog to the icing: the icing is better off too thick than too thin and running down the sides of the cookies.
Storage Instructions
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days. Baked cookies, with or without icing, can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Cozy Cookies
- Frosted Eggnog Cookies
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Chai Whoopie Pies
Taylor Swift Chai Cookies
Ingredients
Chai Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spoon and leveled (can sub 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground all spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Eggnog Icing
- 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons eggnog or heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Recommended Equipment
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, salt and pepper. Remove ⅓ cup of it to a small bowl for later when you’re ready to roll the cookies.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and granulated sugar with the spices on high speed until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Do not skip this step.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, another 1-2 minutes, until the yellow streaks are gone and the dough is light and fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, beating well after each addition. The dough should be thick.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls, 1.5 Tablespoons each. Roll them into the chai-sugar topping and arrange them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. They will be soft and puffy. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
- While they’re cooling, make the frosting. Mix the powdered sugar, eggnog or heavy cream and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Spoon the icing over the cooled cookies and allow to set.
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