How to Make Taylor Swift’s Recipe for Chai Cookies
Updated: Dec. 03, 2023
Soft, buttery cookies with plenty of sugar and spice? Taylor Swift's chai cookies are sure to be a hit.
There’s never a bad time for a batch of freshly baked cookies. But as the weather begins to cool, and summer turns to fall, cookies with notes of sugar and spice are the perfect fit.
Just take it from Taylor Swift herself, who came up with the most genius way to dress up sugar cookies into chai cookies just in time for the changing of the seasons.
What Are Taylor Swift Chai Cookies?
Taylor Swift’s chai cookies start with a delicious sugar cookie base, using a classic recipe from Joy the Baker. The twist? A bag of chai tea leaves is added to the dough for a seasonal kick. You’ll want to curl up with a batch of these cookies, big mug of tea, warm blanket and T Swift songs on repeat.
How Does Taylor Swift Make Her Chai Cookies?
Taylor uses a tried-and-true recipe from baking genius Joy the Baker. Then, she adds a bag of dried chai tea leaves to kick the dough up a notch and tops the cookies with a sweet spiced glaze.
The result is super light, buttery cookies with a soft middle and a hint of crisp on the outer edge. The flavor is similar to a snickerdoodle but lighter and more complex. Notes of chai, cinnamon and nutmeg shine, with the glaze adding the perfect touch of sweetness. They’re delightful for fall, and you can even swap out the milk in the glaze for eggnog to put together a platter of cookies for winter.
How to Make Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies
@gabby.jaye @Taylor Swift chai cookies! Gabby’s Version) 🍂☕️ INGREDIENTS: COOKIES: -1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened -1/3 cup vegetable oil -2 tbsp milk -1/2 cup granulated sugar -1/2 cup powdered sugar -1 large egg -2 tsp vanilla extract -2 cups all purpose flour -1/2 tsp baking soda -1/4 tsp salt -2 chai packets -cinnamon sugar ICING: -1 cup powdered sugar -1/4 tsp nutmeg -1/4 tsp cinnamon -1 tbsp milk or eggnog #taylorswift #chaicookies #cookies #fall #autumn #fallrecipes #fallbaking #swifttok #swiftie #cozy #fallvibes ♬ august – Taylor Swift
Gabrielle Williams, aka @gabby.jaye on TikTok, has a viral TikTok of the Taylor Swift chai cookies recipe currently with more than 293,000 likes. And with good reason. Here’s how to whip up the T-Swizzle approved cookies that we’ll be making as we grab our old cardigan.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sugaring tops
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 chai tea bag
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons milk or eggnog
Editor’s Tip: Use eggnog instead of milk for a seasonal twist.
Directions
Step 1: Start the dough
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Mix in the oil until the butter and oil come together. Next, mix in the sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Cut open the chai tea bag and mix the dry leaves into the batter.
Step 2: Finish the dough and chill
Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt until the dough begins to come together. It will be very soft.
Place the mixing bowl in the fridge and allow the dough to chill for at least an hour.
Step 3: Scoop and bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F before removing the dough from the fridge. Using a cookie dough scoop, portion the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Flatten the dough balls slightly, and then place them on a greased or lined baking sheet, leaving space in between each cookie.
Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake the cookies for eight to 12 minutes until the outer edges are lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 4: Top with glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk. Spoon the glaze onto the cooled cookies and allow it to set for 10 minutes.
Tips for Making Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies
The key to making Taylor Swift’s chai cookies is the balance of sugar and spice. Use your favorite brand of chai tea to set the baseline for flavor. The addition of vanilla, along with cinnamon and nutmeg in the glaze, enhances the cookie’s flavor even further.
Bake the cookies for eight to 12 minutes, depending on your texture preference. Pulling the cookies out when the edges just start to turn golden and leaving the baking sheet on top of the stove will result in a cookie with a super soft center. Bake the cookies longer if you prefer a crunchier texture.
For the glaze, finding the right ratio of powdered sugar to milk is important. For a thicker glaze, 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk is ideal. If you want a thinner glaze, add a bit more milk. For an even thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar to balance out the liquid. Once the cookies have been glazed, let them sit for 10 minutes to allow the glaze to set before taking that first bite.
Originally Published: September 29, 2022
