One day during a trip of endless scrolling on Twitter, I stumbled upon a recipe for chai cookies from pop star Taylor Swift. The 2014 recipe is a simple guide to baking this type of cookie, and I thought it would be a great idea to welcome the fall season by testing the recipe. The instructions are easy to follow and it is a great introduction for people who want to get into baking.
With a few basic ingredients and a chai tea bag, these delicious cookies can be made in just a few hours. Before I could get into the process of mixing the ingredients, I had to set out the butter for it to soften. This step is crucial when baking because it influences the consistency of the cookie dough. I know waiting thirty minutes for butter to soften isn’t exactly ideal, but you can pass time by putting on music and setting up your workspace. The same goes for when the dough is chilling in the refrigerator.
Once the butter is soft to the touch, it is important to begin working on the cookie dough as soon as possible. One of the best things about this recipe is that it requires only one bowl for all of the ingredients. This makes baking and cleaning up afterwards go by so much smoother.
I followed the steps mostly word for word as Taylor Swift wrote them, but I did make a few changes based on my baking preferences. I only had a chai Keurig cup on hand but it worked just as well as a tea bag would have. I also opted to not ice my cookies with frosting, but if you are looking for a sweeter touch that is a great way to add a little more to the cookie.
There are a few things I should warn you about with this recipe. Depending on the type of oil you use, the dough may be oilier than usual cookie mixes. They can also spread out quite a bit, so I recommend making smaller dough balls and not pressing them down too much once you place them on the cookie sheet. My cookies came out slightly different each batch, and I found that the dough made a lot more cookies than what is stated in the recipe.
Baking is such a satisfying activity because it is always a great feeling to be rewarded with a completed product when it comes out of the oven. These chai cookies taste more like sugar cookies with a light chai flavor to them. They’re perfect for the fall season and can be a lovely treat for the upcoming holidays. Taylor Swift may be known for her music and songwriting, but this recipe is kind of a great addition to her already impressive resume.