I couldn’t resist sharing my Taylor Swift Chai Cookie Recipe after an impromptu spice pairing in my kitchen revealed a playful twist that even surprised me.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour: Provides structure and carbs, it’s little fiber or protein, makes cookies tender.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and fat, gives flavor and crisp edges, mostly saturated fat tho.
- Granulated sugar: Primary sweetener, adds crunch and spread, mostly simple carbs, no fiber or protein.
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and molasses notes, keeps cookies moist, some minerals from molasses.
- Egg: Binds ingredients, adds protein and moisture, helps structure and gentle lift.
- Chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg): Packed with antioxidants, warming flavor, mostly zero calories.
- Milk or cream: Adds moisture and tenderness, a bit of fat for richness, helps dough loosen.
- Fine sea salt: Enhances flavor and balances sweetness, small sodium amount improves overall taste.
Ingredient Quantities
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper optional
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- Coarse sugar for rolling, optional
How to Make this
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside, this helps cookies not stick and bake evenly.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, fine sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and the optional black pepper; tip: spoon flour into the cup and level it off so you dont end up with too much.
3. In a large bowl beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scrape the sides so everything mixes evenly.
4. Beat in the room temperature egg, then stir in the vanilla and the 2 tablespoons of milk or cream until smooth, if the mixture looks curdled just keep mixing it’ll come together.
5. Gradually add the dry mix to the butter mixture and stir until just combined, dont overmix or the cookies get tough; if the dough seems super soft chill it 20 to 30 minutes to help control spread.
6. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion dough, roll each ball in coarse sugar if using, place balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared pans and gently press each down a little so they bake into soft rounds.
7. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until edges are set and tops look matte not shiny, rotate the pans halfway through if you’re baking more than one sheet so they brown evenly.
8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 4 to 5 minutes so they firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, they’ll finish setting as they cool.
9. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temp up to 4 days, or freeze raw dough balls on a sheet then bag them for up to 3 months; bake frozen balls adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Equipment Needed
1. Oven set to 350°F (175°C)
2. 2 baking sheets plus parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for even baking and no sticking
3. Medium mixing bowl and a whisk for the dry spices and flour (spoon flour into cup then level it off)
4. Large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer or stand mixer (or a sturdy wooden spoon if you wanna do it by hand)
5. Measuring cups and spoons for flour, sugars, spices and baking powder/soda
6. Rubber spatula and a bench scraper or spoon to scrape the sides and fold ingredients together
7. Tablespoon or small cookie scoop and a small bowl for coarse sugar if you like to roll them
8. Wire cooling rack and oven mitts so the cookies finish setting and you dont burn your hands
FAQ
Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- All-purpose flour: swap with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend (measure cup for cup) for gluten-free cookies, or use whole wheat pastry flour cup for cup (cookies will be a bit denser and nuttier).
- Unsalted butter (2 sticks): use vegan stick butter or solid coconut oil 1:1; expect a slight flavor change with coconut oil and chill the dough a bit to stop excess spreading.
- 1 large egg: replace with a flax “egg” (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, let sit 5 mins) for binding, or 1/4 cup applesauce for moisture if you dont need the egg structure.
- 1 cup granulated sugar: trade for coconut sugar or light brown sugar cup for cup for a deeper, caramel note; if you try liquid sweeteners like maple syrup reduce other liquid a little and watch for faster browning.
Pro Tips
1) Weigh the flour if you can, dont scoop from the bag with the cup or your cookies will be dense. If you only got measuring cups, spoon it into the cup and level it off, that little extra makes a big difference.
2) For brighter spice flavor toast whole spices quick in a dry pan till fragrant then grind, or gently warm the butter and stir the ground spices into it for 30 seconds before creaming to wake them up. It sounds extra but the cookies taste way more complex.
3) Chill the dough till it’s firm enough to scoop, any softer and they’ll spread too much. If you want make-ahead convenience freeze scooped balls on a sheet then bag them; bake from frozen and add a minute or two to the bake time.
4) Watch the tops not just the edges, pull them when the surface looks matte and still a little soft in the center cause they finish setting off the pan. Also bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack and use an oven thermometer, most ovens run hot or cool and that sneaks up on you.
Taylor Swift's Chai Cookies Recipe
I couldn't resist sharing my Taylor Swift Chai Cookie Recipe after an impromptu spice pairing in my kitchen revealed a playful twist that even surprised me.
36
servings
114
kcal
Equipment: 1. Oven set to 350°F (175°C)
2. 2 baking sheets plus parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for even baking and no sticking
3. Medium mixing bowl and a whisk for the dry spices and flour (spoon flour into cup then level it off)
4. Large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer or stand mixer (or a sturdy wooden spoon if you wanna do it by hand)
5. Measuring cups and spoons for flour, sugars, spices and baking powder/soda
6. Rubber spatula and a bench scraper or spoon to scrape the sides and fold ingredients together
7. Tablespoon or small cookie scoop and a small bowl for coarse sugar if you like to roll them
8. Wire cooling rack and oven mitts so the cookies finish setting and you dont burn your hands
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper optional
1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or cream
Coarse sugar for rolling, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside, this helps cookies not stick and bake evenly.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, fine sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and the optional black pepper; tip: spoon flour into the cup and level it off so you dont end up with too much.
- In a large bowl beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scrape the sides so everything mixes evenly.
- Beat in the room temperature egg, then stir in the vanilla and the 2 tablespoons of milk or cream until smooth, if the mixture looks curdled just keep mixing it'll come together.
- Gradually add the dry mix to the butter mixture and stir until just combined, dont overmix or the cookies get tough; if the dough seems super soft chill it 20 to 30 minutes to help control spread.
- Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion dough, roll each ball in coarse sugar if using, place balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared pans and gently press each down a little so they bake into soft rounds.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes until edges are set and tops look matte not shiny, rotate the pans halfway through if you're baking more than one sheet so they brown evenly.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 4 to 5 minutes so they firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, they’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temp up to 4 days, or freeze raw dough balls on a sheet then bag them for up to 3 months; bake frozen balls adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 26g
- Total number of serves: 36
- Calories: 114kcal
- Fat: 5.34g
- Saturated Fat: 3.26g
- Trans Fat: 0.21g
- Polyunsaturated: 0.19g
- Monounsaturated: 1.32g
- Cholesterol: 18.67mg
- Sodium: 73.61mg
- Potassium: 14.44mg
- Carbohydrates: 15.63g
- Fiber: 0.31g
- Sugar: 8.65g
- Protein: 1.11g
- Vitamin A: 161IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
- Calcium: 3.46mg
- Iron: 0.45mg
