This classic sugar cookie is elevated with a delicate hint of chai spice, infusing it with a delightful holiday aroma and flavor. It's finished with a sweet eggnog icing and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Slip into your favorite cardigan and bake up a batch of these timeless winter treats that will take you back to December all the time.
Table of Contents
History of Taylor Swift's Chai Sugar Cookies
Leave it to Taylor Swift to take a popular mid century sugar cookie and add a modern twist that sent the internet into a baking frenzy! In 2014, she posted her handwritten recipe for these cookies on Instagram, with another post on Tumblr showing a photo of the cookies with instructions on how to make the frosting.
Taylor captioned her Tumblr cookie photo "Chai sugar cookies with cinnamon eggnog icing AKA Christmas in September." She said she made this recipe for the "1989 Secret Sessions," when she met with fans for listening parties before her album "1989" was released. The 4-ingredient icing recipe was posted directly in her Tumblr post about the cookies.
I love old fashioned holiday cookie recipes -- Austrian crescent cookies and Danish butter cookies always make it to my family's table at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This spicy-sweet cookie recipe has earned a place at our holiday table as well!
Cookie Ingredients
Here's what you need to make the cookies:
- Unsalted butter -- Every brand puts a different amount of salt in their butter, so using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt that goes into your cookies.
- Vegetable oil -- Vegetable oil, canola oil or grapeseed oil are good choices. All are neutral tasting oils with less saturated fat than butter. They add moisture and chewiness to your cookies.
- Sugar -- Granulated white sugar gives the cookies a soft texture.
- Powdered Sugar -- This type of sugar has some cornstarch in it, which gives the cookie a bit of a cake-y texture.
- Egg -- a large egg binds all of the ingredients together and adds rise to the cookies.
- Vanilla -- Adds a soothing flavor.
- Flour -- All purpose flour provides the foundation and structure for the cookies.
- Baking soda -- Adds fluffiness to the cookies and helps them rise.
- Salt -- Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Chai tea -- Adds warm chai spices that give the cookies their holiday-season spin. You actually cut open a chai tea bag and pour the chai-tea leaves into your batter.
How to Make Chai Sugar Cookies
This makes a soft dough that remains soft even when refrigerated.
- In a large bowl, whip butter with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.
- Mix in vegetable oil.
- Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Using a wooden spoon or flat spatula, stir in flour, baking soda, salt and chai tea until fully combined. Cover dough and refrigerate for one hour.
- Drop chilled dough balls onto greased cookie sheets. Press down with the back of a flat spatula or the bottom of a glass to lightly flatten the tops.
- Bake 9-13 minutes, until cookies are just turning slightly brown at the outer edge. Remove and cool.
My cookie scoop was 1-½ tablespoons, and it yielded 3 dozen cookies. (The first time I made them with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, and it yielded 2 dozen cookies.) I like to leave half plain and put icing on the other half. Not everyone likes icing on cookies, so this gives people a choice. Taylor says she likes them both with and without icing.
Eggnog Icing Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar -- The base of the icing, adds the sweetness and thickness.
- Eggnog -- Adds flavor and thins the icing.
- Cinnamon -- Gives the cookies a spicy, warm flavor.
- Nutmeg -- Adds a comforting holiday taste that pairs well with cinnamon.
How to Make Eggnog Icing
It literally takes just a minute to make this simple topping:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix well.
- Spoon over cooled cookies, then shake a little cinnamon on top.
Using slightly less eggnog will make the consistency thicker, more like an eggnog frosting. Using slightly more will make it a thinner eggnog glaze. It's a matter of personal preference, so do what you like!
Taylor mentions that you can add a bit of food coloring to the mixture to make it festive if you like. If you're so inclined, perhaps divide the mixture in two and make one small bowl of green icing and one small bowl of red icing for the holiday season. However, I think the cookies look great just as they are!
Expert Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Bring butter to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before whipping it for best results.
- Choose a good quality packet of chai tea with fine granules. The chai tea packet I like best is Tazo Organic Chai.
- Grease your cookie sheets so the cookies don't stick to the pan. I use butter, but you can use parchment paper instead.
- Be sure to cool cookies completely before adding icing to them. Otherwise the icing will not set properly.
- You can substitute milk or heavy cream in the icing if you can't find eggnog in your store. You can also make your own eggnog if you like.
- Baking time varies depending on your oven and how large you make the dough balls. One tablespoon scoops will take approximately 9-10 minutes. 1-½ tablespoon scoops will take about 12-13 minutes, and 2 tablespoon scoops can take 15-17 minutes. Carefully watch for the edges of your cookies to turn lightly golden brown. Cookies should be slightly crunchy on the edges and softer in the center. Store in an air-tight container or wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh.
Other Recipes You Might Like
We hope you give Taylor Swift's chai sugar cookie recipe a try! The comforting chai flavors make the fall season and beyond a perfect time to enjoy this sweet treat. But it doesn't have to be cold out to enjoy these cookies -- you can make them any time of year. Happy baking!
Have a comment or a vintage recipe you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Please rate, comment, or send me an email at [email protected].
Taylor Swift's Holiday Recipe for Chai Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Chai Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 bag chai tea
Eggnog Icing Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
Chai Sugar Cookies Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.
- Add vegetable oil and mix well.
- Add in sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on low until fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Cut open the chai tea packet and shake contents into the bowl. Stir to fully combine.
- Using a flat spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix flour mixture into sugar mixture. When fully combined, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- After 1 hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop, drop tablespoon sized scoops onto cookie sheet. Dough will be soft. (See recipe notes for instructions on baking different sized scoops.) Lightly press down on the top of each cookie with the back of a flat spatula or the bottom of a glass to slightly flatten the tops.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 9-13 minutes, until outer edges just begin to turn a light golden color. Remove from oven. If you're adding icing, allow to cool completely on a cooling rack first.
Eggnog Icing Instructions
- Add powdered sugar, eggnog, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium mixing bowl. Using a spatula or spoon, mix all ingredients until fully combined.
- Spoon and spread icing onto the tops of cooled cookies and allow to set for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
-
- Bring butter to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before whipping it for best results.
- Choose a good quality packet of chai tea with fine granules. I recommend Tazo Organic Chai.
- Be sure to cool cookies completely before adding icing to them. Otherwise the icing will run off and not set properly.
- You can substitute milk or heavy cream in the icing if you can't find eggnog in your store. You can also make your own eggnog if you like.
- Baking time varies depending on your oven and how large you make the dough balls. One tablespoon scoops will take approximately 9-10 minutes. 1-½ tablespoon scoops will take about 12-13 minutes, and 2 tablespoon scoops can take 15-17 minutes. Carefully watch for the edges of your cookies to turn lightly golden brown. Cookies should be slightly crunchy on the edges and softer and chewier in the center. Store in an air-tight container or wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh.
