These cookies are based on a shortbread recipe, but spiced to taste like a chai tea latte. Don't try to make a substitution for the cardamom - it's essential to the chai taste. Masala chai varies widely by region, brand, and store, so you can play with the spices to get closer to your favorite chai.
Ingredients
- loose-leaf tea: 2 Tbsp (to taste)
- ½ teaspoons ground cardamom: 1 piece
- ground cinnamon: 1 tsp
- ground ginger: 0.5 tsp
- ground nutmeg: 0.5 tsp
- ground cloves: 0.25 tsp
- salt: 0.125 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.125 tsp (optional)
- butter: 1 cup
- white sugar: 0.5 cup
- vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- all-purpose flour: 2 cups
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
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Grind tea into a fine powder using a spice grinder. Mix in cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper.
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Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add the spiced tea mixture and mix thoroughly. Fold in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a stiff dough forms.
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Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch pieces with a cookie cutter or knife. Arrange cookies on baking sheets.
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Bake in the preheated oven until edges begin to brown slightly, about 20 minutes.
