Chai Spice Cookies
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These chewy oatmeal cookies are bursting with the warm spices of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger and dotted with creamy white chocolate chips. You can also find this recipe on page 34 of my cookbook.
TESTED & PERFECTED: START WITH MY BELOVED OATMEAL COOKIE BASE
In 2014, I shared the very first version of my chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. Out of all of the classic cookies in the world, and all of their fun versions and endless add-ins for any cookie base you can think of, oatmeal raisin cookies are the one I will reach for every single time.
Since then, I have adapted that oatmeal cookie base to be absolutely perfect. I’ve tweaked and tested the recipe to produce cookies that are jam packed with texture, full of warm spices, and ready for any add-ins you desire.
When done exactly right, my easy oatmeal cookies will leave you with that eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-your-head, can’t help but “mmmm” feeling.
Why I love these Chai Cookies
A really fabulous oatmeal cookie really does rely on that solid oatmeal cookie base, and lucky for you, I have that base down pat.
Over the years of perfecting my oatmeal cookie, I’ve also worked to bring this recipe, which was originally shared in 2017, more flavor, better texture, and overall, make it a better cookie.
Chai Cookie Recipe Ingredients
You’ll see a pretty familiar list of ingredients for this chai spiced oatmeal cookie recipe. You probably have everything on hand except maybe the molasses. But don’t worry, all of my oatmeal cookie recipes use molasses, so you have more than a few more recipes you can make using the rest of the jar!
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: be sure to measure properly so your cookies bake up perfectly.
BAKING SODA: an important ingredient in helping these cookies rise.
CINNAMON, GINGER, & CARDAMOM: these are key in bringing chai flavor. Cardamom is one of my favorite spices! If you want to use more of it, check out my recipes for cardamom rolls, chai cake, or baked chai donuts.
SALT & VANILLA EXTRACT: for balance of flavor.
LIGHT BROWN AND GRANULATED SUGAR: we use a combination of sugars in these cookies to bring sweetness, notes of caramel, and moisture.
EGG: to bind everything together.
MOLASSES: this is my absolute favorite ingredient to add to oatmeal cookies. It brings such a unique flavor to the cookies as well as helps to bind the cookie dough and bring moisture to the final baked cookie. Do not use black strap molasses in this recipe.
OLD FASHIONED OATS: do not use quick oats or steel cut oats for these cookies.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS: these are entirely optional, but I like the creaminess they bring to the cookies. If you are a chai latte lover or take milk or cream in your chai, you will probably like the addition of the chips.
How to make Chai Cookies
STEP #1
Start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt, then set this mixture aside.
STEP #2
Next, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined. Add the vanilla extract and molasses and beat on high again until completely combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
STEP #3
Reduce the mixer speed to low, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oats and the white chocolate chips.
STEP #4
Using a cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto the baking sheet, then bake.
Chai Cookie Tips
In order to keep these cookies soft and chewy, you’ll need to be sure to bake them just for the time suggested. Err on the side of fewer minutes until you find out exactly how your oven will treat these oatmeal cookies.
After the 10-12 minutes, your cookies will look very underdone. You may see some bubbles on the tops of the cookies from the reaction with the leavener and the molasses. This is what you want!
The result, once cool, should be chewy cookies with just a hint of crispness on the outside.
Chai Spiced Cookies Variations
You can use any kind of chocolate chips you’d like! I prefer the white chocolate ones to mimic the cream you might put into chai, but any flavor of chips or even no chips at all would work well, too!
Feel free to amp up the spices as you see fit. You could also replace the spices entirely with the contents of a chai bag like I do in my chai cake.
How to store Chai Spice Cookies
These cookies will stay fresh covered tightly at room temperature. They will soften as they sit, so if they’re getting too soft for you, consider cracking the lid of your container to let some air in (just watch for them going stale).
MORE CHAI-INSPIRED RECIPES
Chai Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 1 and ½ Tablespoons (102g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30mL) unsulphured molasses1
- 1 and ½ cups (120g) old fashioned oats do not use quick oats
- ⅓ cup (57g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Set aside.¾ cup + 1 and ½ Tablespoons (102g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined. Add the vanilla and molasses and beat on high again until completely combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons (30mL) unsulphured molasses1
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oats and the white chocolate chips.1 and ½ cups (120g) old fashioned oats, ⅓ cup (57g) white chocolate chips
- Using a cookie scoop (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies), drop scoops of dough onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes2 or until edges are just set. Remove from oven and allow to rest on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Cookies will look underdone, and will "set" as they cool on baking sheets. Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature up to 5 days. Baked cookies freeze well, as does unbaked rolled dough (up to 2 months). Do not thaw and add an extra minute to baking time.
Video
Notes
- Molasses: do not use black strap molasses in this recipe.
- Bake time: it is imperative you don’t overbake these cookies, which will dry them out. They will look very underdone and you may see some bubbles on the tops of the cookies from the reaction with the leavener and the molasses. This is what you want!
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Yum! I might make these for my office cookie swap.
If you do, you’ll have to let me know how everyone likes them!
Amen! I love anything chai. I could probably eat a whole dozen of these cookies myself!
Right?! I may have gotten close…
These look amazing! I think I’m going to add them to my Christmas cookie rotation this year. I’m not a big fan of white chocolate, and I know you said we could leave out the chips, but do you think cinnamon chips would work–or would they be overpowering?
Hey, Lara! Sorry I’m just now seeing your comment. It went to my spam for some reason! I think cinnamon chips would be an amazing addition– did you decide to try them??
No worries! I actually couldn’t find cinnamon chips and decided to try the white chocolate and you were so right—they were amazing! Thanks again for the recipe!
Awesome, so glad you loved them!
My family disowns me if I don’t include these in the Christmas cookie tray. 🙂 I adore everything chai-related, and these cookies do not disappoint! The subtle sweetness with the molasses, the spice combination, the white chocolate chips…chef’s kiss! Plus, your living space will smell wonderfully for a few days as a result of the spices! Comes together simply, and a masterpiece of a cookie as a result!
Thanks so much, Laura! I love the spices in this cookie so much!
The only way to make an oatmeal cookie better is to add some chai spice. These are so yummy and feel like a big hug.
TOTALLY AGREE.
Is there anyway I can replace molasses with something? No way to buy it where I live
Hi, Alicja– you can use maple syrup if you prefer.
Do you think these would work if I made the cookie dough balls ahead of time and froze they
Yep! Freezing mentioned in the last step of the recipe.