Chai shortbread cookies

Delicious chai shortbread cookies made with vanilla chai and rolled in chai spice sugar. Goes well with a cup of warm green tea. 

I love Shortbread cookies, and whenever I get a chance I try to a new recipe. So this time I tried Chai shortbread cookies with vanilla chai from Bigelow; and to go with it, I made a cup of green tea. I was able to get both Vanilla chai and Green tea – Bigelow from my local Walmart which is less than 2 miles from my home.

In most Indian household, chai or tea is must at least once a day. My hubby is chai/tea person who like to start his day with chai and end with chai.  I even have a post dedicated to how to make tea.  The Indian habit of drinking chai/tea originated from the British as they have habit of sipping tea. The British used to buy Chinese tea which was very expensive. So to get the tea cheaper British East India Company planted the tea plantations in the north east part of India. This resulted in the introduction of tea in the Indian subcontinent. Only thing I miss from India is 24 hour tea shops and tradition of drinking tea almost every other hour.  Do you know Tea is second only to water as the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Here is the Bigelow Tea Proudly YouTube video

Chai or tea is made by boiling tea leaves in water and followed by addition of milk and sugar, and sometimes adding spices like ginger, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon to makes it masala chai. The masala combines the Indian Ayurvedic concept with British teatime traditions.

I started loving green tea during my stay in Japan. In Japan whenever you go to somebody’s place they would invite you to have a cup of green tea. I drank best quality green tea there, and even after leaving Japan I have continued the habit of drinking green tea.   Now I drink Bigelow Tea as they are best and they are my #1 choice for tea. Drinking tea is so much more! as it's warm and cozy; it soothes souls, connects people, invites conversation and makes memories.

I will be happiest person in the earth when I can taste delicious tea with different flavors, and was very happy when I tasted the Vanilla chai from Bigelow. I enjoyed this tea so I decided to incorporate it in my short bread cookies. When you ready to make the shortbread cookies make sure to buy vanilla chai and green tea Bigelow along with rest of ingredients from your local Walmart.

These Vanilla chai cookies are delicious. I made them extra special by rolling them in chai spices and sugar which is really easy to make and put together. I used my grandma’s chai spices recipe and mixed with sugar.  At first I thought of making them into ice box cookies, but then changed my mind and made it as cut out shortbread cookies to make it beautiful.

To go with delicious Chai cookies I made cup of green tea. Give it a try you will love it.

Print Recipe

5 from 22 votes

Chai Shortbread Cookies

Delicious chai shortbread cookies made with vanilla chai  and then rolled in chai spice sugar.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time22 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 25 cookies

Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

• For making Chai short bread cookies
• 1 cup (130g ) all purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (33g) powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 Bigelow Vanilla chai tea packet
• ½ cup butter
• For Chai spice mix
• 6 cardamom
• 2 inch cinnamon
• ½ inch dry ginger/ ¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 black peppercorn
• For chai spice sugar
• ½ teaspoon chai spice
• 2 tablespoon sparkling sugar

Instructions

• In a kitchen aid stand mixer add butter, sugar, powdered sugar cream well. To this add flour, salt and vanilla chai packet and mix well until everything combined well.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl and warp it in a parchment paper. Freeze the dough, or chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Make chai spice powder by grinding all the ingredients for chai spice. Then mix the chai spice with sugar and set aside.
• To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Spread the dough into ¼ inch sheet and cut out using your favorite cookie cutter. Then roll the dough into chai spice sugar. Place the cookie on the baking sheet and bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
• Enjoy with a cup of green tea.

Notes

Cream the butter, both sugars  at first.

then add one packet of  vanilla chai

Mix well so that everything combined well.

To this add flour and salt.

Mix once again so that the dough comes together. Make sure not to over mix.

Then wrap the dough in

warp it in a parchment paper. Freeze the dough, or chill for at least 30 minutes.

Make chai spice powder by grinding all ingreidents.

Then mix with sparkling sugar to make chai spice sugar.

 

Then cut of the dough using your favorite cookie cutter and roll it in chai spice sugar and place it in the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake it in pre-heated oven for 8-12 minutes or until sides becomes golden brown in color like this.

Enjoy with cup of green tea.

 

 

 

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Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.