Description
Delight in these buttery Vanilla Chai Shortbread Cookies infused with a fragrant blend of chai spices and topped with a smooth vanilla cinnamon icing. These slice-and-bake cookies offer a tender, crumbly texture and an aromatic warmth perfect for tea time or festive occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (227g), cold and cubed
- 2 teaspoons chai tea leaves (equivalent to 2 Tazo Chai tea bags)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream the spiced butter mixture: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the cold, cubed unsalted butter, chai tea leaves, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, salt, ground ginger, ground clove, and ground allspice until well combined and fragrant.
- Add powdered sugar: Incorporate ½ cup powdered sugar into the butter and spices mixture, mixing until fully blended.
- Add flour and form dough: Gradually add the all-purpose flour, a little at a time, mixing continuously for about 4 to 5 minutes. The mixture will initially be dry and crumbly but will eventually come together into a soft, Play-Doh-like dough.
- Shape dough into a log: Transfer the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment paper, shape and roll the dough into a log approximately 11.5 to 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.
- Chill the dough log: Refrigerate the dough log for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight or several days, to develop the flavors fully.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the dough into cookies: Using a very sharp knife, cut the chilled dough log into 24 slices, each just under 0.5 inches thick. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart. Optionally, roll the bottom of each slice on the pan to smooth edges and create a rounded shape.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
- Cool the cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the vanilla chai icing: In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream (or water), vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon until smooth.
- Ice the cookies: Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the icing, allowing excess to drip off. Run a spoon along the edge to remove extra icing and place the cookies on wax paper to set until the icing hardens.
Notes
- The slice-and-bake method is simpler and faster than rolling and cutting individual cookies.
- Chilling the dough enhances the flavor and helps the spices meld beautifully.
- The chai spices elevate the flavor of the tea leaves in the dough, adding complex warmth.
- Using cold butter helps achieve the tender, crumbly texture typical of shortbread.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute heavy cream with water in the icing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
