Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies

For the record I am not one of 'those' people who knows exactly how many days there are until Christmas no matter which month of the year you ask. Nor do I keep track of when the holiday music starts streaming or when the Hallmark holiday movie marathon begins. Although some of 'those' people' happen to be my most favorite people. Instead I am one of 'those' people who gets excited over the return of Starbucks holiday cups, "It's a Wonderful Life" on television, and the excuse to bake an abundance of cookies. So after making these buttery, melt in your mouth Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies I got to thinking. Maybe the holiday cookie baking bender should, like almost everything else, come earlier this year. 

I should probably fess up and tell you something else about me. My favorite cookie will always be the newest cookie I make. Which means for the next few weeks, even months, these Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies will be going on repeat. And if I were you, I would abandon all thoughts of waiting to begin baking holiday cookies until December or until the week before Christmas. Because you really need my newest favorite cookie in your life now. I promise you have zero regrets making this lightly spiced cookie. One evoking all of the warmth of the holiday season. 

Here's how excited I am about this shortbread cookie. If there was a shortbread cookie throw down or holiday cookie baking contest, I would be all in. Or if there was such a thing as a shortbread cookie bakery, I would be opening one up. I have absolute no doubt the Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookie would be sold out within hours of the bakery opening its' doors. Lastly, if there was just one new cookie you wanted to add to your holiday baking platters/boxes this year (although you are going to want to make them year round), this would be the one! So, I guess it's fair to say I am feverishly passionate about these cookies. 

If you have ever ordered a hot or iced chai tea from your favorite coffee shop, you already know the spiced tea blend mixes black tea with rich, strong spices. The spices in a chai mixture might include combinations of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and/or even black peppercorns. Which means chai beverages can vary greatly across the country, across the world as they are highly influenced by traditions and taste preferences. Creating a chai spice mixture for these shortbread cookies wasn't an easy task. After doing the usual deep dive into the chai spice rabbit hole, I settled on a chai combination that included cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg with cinnamon being the more dominant spice. I am keenly aware that if I say the mixture was perfect, I am admitting to being completely biased. 

One of the other important decisions you have to make when baking shortbread has to do with which butter to use. You will never ever go wrong when you use an unsalted European quality butter (see notes). It's higher percentage of butterfat not only creates a richer tasting shortbread but an easier to roll out dough (without having to chill it). 

Two of the visual characteristics giving this Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookie its' extraordinary wow-factor are its' thickness and size. Rolled out to a thickness of 3/8" and cut out with a 3" cookie cutter (stars make for the most beautiful, most enticing cookie) they are everything you want to have in a great shortbread cookie. 

Baking time for the shortbread cookies range between 22-24 minutes or until they are golden along the edges. Unlike most other cookies, these remain on the baking sheet until they have cooled down considerably (about 8-10 minutes). While still on the baking sheet, the warm shortbread cookies are generously topped with granulated sugar. When you are ready to transfer them to a serving platter or tin, simply shake off the excess sugar. Your ready to eat, ready to serve shortbread cookie should have a gorgeous sugared finish.

In spite my blind enthusiasm, I always feel a bit anxious when sharing my new favorite cookie for the first time with others. But all of my fears were laid to rest this past weekend when I brought a platter of the Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies to a gathering. They got great reviews!

The rich, buttery, crispy Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies are destined to become the new classic shortbread and your newest obsession! Enjoy them with a cup of coffee, a cup of tea or yes, even a cup a chai tea (because there is no such thing as too much of a good thing). 

Recipe

Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Makes 19-20 3" cookies

Updated November 2022

Ingredients

3/4 pound (339g) unsalted European style butter, room temperature (see notes)

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, plus more for finishing the cookies

2 teaspoons good quality vanilla

3 1/2 cups (455g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Optional: White chocolate, melted (see notes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper set aside.

2. Sift together the flour and spices. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla on low speed, just until combined (do not whip).

4. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing just until the dough comes together. Large clumps should form.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a third of the dough to 3/8" thickness. Cut out with a 3" sized cookie cutter (stars make for gorgeous cookies). Note: Before rolling out the dough, gently shape into a ball, then flatted to about an inch thickness before rolling out. I did not need to chill the dough before rolling it out. But if your dough is soft for some reason, chill only for 10 minutes before rolling out.

6. Carefully transfer the cookies to one of the baking sheets. Space the cookies at least one inch apart as they will expand slightly as they bake.

7. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove the pan from the oven but keep the cookies on the pan. Immediately generously spoon granulated sugar over each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. When the cookies cool, shake off the excess sugar.

8. Repeat with remaining dough.

9. Serve the cookies slightly warm or at room temperature. Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature or wrap in cellophane bags.

Notes: (1) I used Kerrygold unsalted butter and highly recommend. It's higher butterfat content helps to create the most flavorful shortbread as well as a dough with a great consistency. (2) It is not necessary to chill the dough before rolling it out. It rolls out beautifully. (3) Instead of topping the baked chai shortbread cookies with sugar, dip the cooled baked cookies in melted white chocolate to create a Chai Spiced Latte version. (4) I used these star biscuit cutters from Williams-Sonoma.