I Tried Making Taylor Swift’s Viral Chai Sugar Cookies: Here's My Review (and Tips)

In 2014, Taylor Swift famously posted her favorite cookie recipe - a cookie inspired by traditional Chai spices, with a gooey interior and crispy middle.

The “Bejeweled” singer shared a photo of her confectionary creation via Instagram. “Chai sugar cookies with cinnamon eggnog icing AKA Christmas in September,” she wrote in the caption.

9 years later, the cookie recipe still goes viral when winter comes around. The comforting Chai spices are perfect for a cold winter afternoon, especially with a warm cup of hot chocolate or Chai!

But are these cookies as awesome as everyone says they are? Are Ms. Swift's recipes as amazing as her music? Keep reading to find out!

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A Little Bit of History

Taylor made these specific cookies for the 1989 Secret Sessions, where she invited her biggest fans to her home to listen to the pop album ahead of its release date. She was making vanilla sugar cookies and was inspired to add chai mix to the batter to “infuse cozy holiday vibez into the cookie."

She has often admitted that inside the comforts of her own home, she has used baking as a way to destress and express her love to her friends and family.

When she finally decided to reconcile with Katy Perry after their five-year-long feud, Taylor Swift baked her sugar cookies that said ‘Peace at Last’!

Without further ado, here is the iconic recipe!

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Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• ½ cup of sugar (+ more for topping)
• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

1 bag of Chai:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Image Credits: Nicole Michalou via Pexels

Instructions for the Chai Icing:

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons of milk or eggnog

*Feel free to customize this icing to your liking! Here are a few customization ideas:

• Cream Cheese Chai: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and a pinch of chai spice.
• Honey Chai Icing: Powdered sugar, honey, and a dash of chai spice
• Maple Chai Glaze: Maple syrup and a pinch of chai spice.
• White Chocolate Ganache: Melt white chocolate and stir in chai spice.
• Pumpkin Icing: Powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a baking sheet
2. Beat the butter and add vegetable oil
3. Add sugar, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla
4. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and the chai bag
5. Chill the dough for about 1 hour
6. Roll dough into balls (approx. 2 tbsp). Press down evenly and cover with sugar
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes
8. While baking, make the icing. Mix powdered sugar, with ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, cinnamon, and milk (or eggnog if you can find it). If you want more of a glaze consistency, add more of your liquid
9. When cooled, cover with icing and sprinkle with more cinnamon!

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Tips and Tricks:

Here are some tricks to maximize the tastiness of your cookies!

1. Make sure you watch these cookies closely while they are baking! They burn and overcook easily. Plus, it is important to remember that sugar cookies often harden after being taken out of the oven. Try removing the cookies to deliver the perfect texture when they seem almost done to deliver the perfect texture.
2. Don't hold back on the spices. The effect of the spices tends to be quite subtle in the cookie, so a generous amount will ensure a delightful burst of flavor. If you're not planning to add spices to your icing or glaze, I highly recommend increasing the amount of spices by 1.5x in the batter.
3. Make sure that both your eggs and butter are at room temperature. I know this step is always annoying, but it can make all the difference! Using overly stiff butter can make it difficult to whisk the batter and cold eggs will accidentally harden the butter in your batter. But by microwaving or heating these ingredients, they can slightly cook the batter in advance; creating overly chewy cookies! If you need to speed up the process, you can fill a heat-proof mug with boiling water and then empty it. Place your warm mug on top of the eggs or butter, which will allow them to reach room temperature more rapidly.
4. I strongly suggest sifting all of the dry ingredients first. This will prevent clumps from forming and ensure a smooth, even texture throughout your cookie dough.
5. If you prefer thicker cookies or if your batter is too sticky, leave them in the fridge for a couple more hours. This will help the dough to firm up and will create cookies that expand less in the oven. Similarly, if you prefer crunchier or thinner cookies, leave them in the fridge for less time!
6. Lastly, when creating your Chai mix, try to use whole or fresh spices that you need to grind yourself. This additional step may seem trivial, but it can make a huge difference in achieving that deep chai flavor! Freshly ground spices release their aroma and flavors more effectively, thus resulting in a deeper, more complex flavor profile in your cookies.

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Final Review

These cookies definitely live up to the hype! They are the perfect comforting snacks and the dough can be kept frozen for up to three months. These cookies taste absolutely wonderful in the wintertime, especially served warm with a cozy drink.

So what are you waiting for? Go make these simple cookies right now and make your inner Swiftie proud!