Decorating cookies has never been my strong suit. But I’m not going to let a little thing such as incompetence stand in my way. I love the process of cookie making. Yes, royal icing may feel like a royal pain, but I aim get better at it. One of these days I’ll make cookies worthy of Martha Stewart. Until then, I’ll keep practicing. These chai tea gingerbread cookies recipe were the perfect excuse to practice. Follow along if you’d like to make your own.
Since Christmas is right around the corner I thought it would be nice to incorporate chai tea to traditional gingerbread cookies. I did that with chai tea sugar and chai tea icing. Both add a deliciously rich chai flavor to the cookies. They’re amazing.
To begin, infuse unsalted butter with chai tea. I used Mountain Rose Herb’s chai tea. Mountain Rose Herbs has some of the best fair trade and organic herbs available on the internet. I highly recommend them. If you’ve never infused butter before, you can read more about it here. It’s a very simple process that includes melting butter in a double boiler and allowing tea to steep in the butter. Tea infused butter can be used in any recipe that calls for butter. It completely changes the flavor and makes for a much more exciting recipe!
Once the butter is infused with the chai tea, I suggest to chill it in the refrigerator until it begins to solidify. We’re looking for a somewhat room-temperature texture. I waited for my butter to cool after it was infused then let it chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. This can also be prepped the day before.
Cream together the infused butter and brown sugar, then add the molasses and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the rest of the ingredients and beat until a ball forms. Be sure the ball isn’t too sticky. If it is, then add more flour a tablespoon at a time. Make sure you don’t add too much!
Divide the dough ball in half then roll out onto parchment paper. Roll until you get 1/4″ in thickness then cut out the cookie shapes using cookie cutters.
The chai tea sugar mixes a few common chai ingredients to add an extra element of the chai flavor. Mix your favorite chai ingredients together with sugar. I used ground cinnamon and ginger then sprinkle it on top of the cookies.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then carefully space out the cookies. Freeze the cookies for 25 minutes to help keep the shapes in tact. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake the cookies after they’ve chilled in the freezer. Bake for 10-12 minutes then allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.
Mix the chai tea icing ingredients then decorate to your heart’s desire! Don’t worry if they’re not perfect because they are delicious, and that’s all that matters, right?
I’d love to see your cookie decorating skills. Let me know if you use this recipe. Happy decorating!
CHAI TEA GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 sticks of tea infused butter or 3/4 cups (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup of molasses
- 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Chai Tea Sugar Ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
Chai Tea Icing Ingredients
- 2 cups of confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup of whole milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions
- Cream together the tea infused butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the molasses and vanilla then beat for about a minute until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the egg then beat in the rest of the ingredients until a ball forms. Add a tablespoon of flour at a time if the dough is too sticky.
- Divide the dough in half then roll it out on parchment paper until it reaches 1/4-inch in thickness.
- Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters then place them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Combine the chai tea sugar ingredients and sprinkle it over the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pop the cookie sheet in the freezer for 25 minutes then bake them for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- Whisk the chai tea frosting ingredients until combined.
- Decorate your heart out.
- Enjoy!