Published: · Modified: by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments
Jump to Recipe
Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies are crisp, buttery, richly spiced, and laced with vanilla bean; they're the perfect fall treat with a cup of tea!
One of my favorite memories of fall while I was growing up in Western New York is driving out to the country for a trip to a pumpkin patch.
We’d walk around the patch looking for what we thought was the best pumpkin. Which basically meant the biggest pumpkin we could find that was perfectly Jack-O-Lantern-shaped!
After that, we’d head home and continue the festivities with hot tea and cookies and pumpkin carving.
During festive activities, fresh-baked cookies were a fall must for us. Especially warmly-spiced cookies like Molasses Crinkles, Snickerdoodles, and Cinnamon and Nutmeg Oatmeal Raisin. There’s just something about sweetly spiced cookies baking that smells like autumn.
I’ve been making shortbread cookies for years now, usually during fall and the holidays, because they just feel festive to me. They’re one of my favorite cookies to play with in terms of switching up the flavor profile (check out my Slice and Bake Butter Toffee Shortbread Cookies!).
For this batch of shortbread, I took inspiration from the flavors going on in masala chai tea. Cardamom is the primary spice because I find it to be integral in getting the perfect chai flavor. For this recipe I like to keep the grind a little bit more coarse than normal because I like the bold flavor it gives the cookies. And it looks pretty too!
In This Article
The Best Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients in Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla bean paste
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Black pepper
How to Make Chai Tea Cookies
- Make the dough. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper.
- Chill the dough. Roll the dough into a log about 16-inches long, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer).
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 325F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Slice the dough into slices about ½-inch thick and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are sandy colored along the outside but not browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on the trays before removing.
How to Store Chai Shortbread Cookies
Like other types of shortbread cookies, you can store Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. After that, transfer the container to the fridge for up to 1 week more.
Tips for Making Chai Shortbread Cookies
- Play with the spices. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your personal tastes.
- Make ahead. You can make this dough ahead of time and store it wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing the dough, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Keep them fresh. Let the cookies cool completely before you put them in an airtight container. And make sure you don't store soft cookies in the same container because they'll soften the shortbread.
Shortbread Cookies FAQs
What Does Chai Taste Like?
Hailing from India, chai means "tea" in Hindi. Here in the U.S., masala chai is typically what we're referring to when we say chai tea. Masala chai is a mixture of black tea steeped with spices that's typically served with milk and sugar.
Chai has a sweet creamy flavor with spicy notes. Cardamom in particular stands out as a predominant spice, and so does cinnamon.
Does Shortbread Dough Need to be Refrigerated?
This will differ based on the shortbread recipe you're using. The dough for these Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies needs to be refrigerated.
Refrigerating shortbread dough before baking helps chill the butter so the cookies hold their shape better. Additionally, the resulting cookies are lighter and flakier.
Is Shortbread Supposed to be Crumbly?
Yes! Shortbread is a dry and crumbly cookie, similar to a short pie crust.
How Do You Know When Shortbread Cookies Are Done?
Shortbread is finished cooking when it turns a sandy color along the outside and on the bottom. But watch it diligently because shortbread shouldn't be brown.
Once they're out of the oven, shortbread cookies will stiffen as they cool.
Can You Freeze Homemade Shortbread?
Yes, shortbread freezes very well.
To freeze shortbread cookies, layer them in an airtight container between pieces of parchment paper for up to 3 months.
More Shortbread and Similar Cookies to Make
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Maple Pecan Potato Chip Cookies
Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies
By: Faith Gorsky
Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies are crisp, buttery, richly spiced, and laced with vanilla bean; they're the perfect fall treat with a cup of tea!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Time For the Dough to Chill in the Fridge 2 hours hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 128 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper.
Roll the dough into a log about 16-inches long, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer).
Preheat the oven to 325F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
Slice the dough into slices about ½-inch thick and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are sandy colored along the outside but not browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool completely on the trays before removing.
Faith's Tips
- Make-Ahead: You can make this dough ahead of time and store it wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months (if freezing the dough, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before baking).
- Decorating Idea: Once the cookies are cooled, drizzle on a little melted white chocolate, and before the chocolate sets, sprinkle on a little finely chopped pecans. Let the chocolate set before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 128Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 50mg2%
Potassium 17mg0%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 237IU5%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 5mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Chai Shortbread Cookies, Chai Spiced Cookies, Chai Tea Cookies
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on October 13, 2017. I updated it with more information on November 18, 2021.