I have been meaning for years to make Taylor Swift’s famous Chai Sugar Cookies. For whatever reason, I just haven’t gotten around to it. But this fall, I was determined to make them.
I had to do some research into how this became “Taylor Swift’s cookie recipe,” so let me debrief you on what I learned.
This “Lived Like Taylor Swift for a Week” article revealed that Taylor modified this Joy the Baker recipe. (Which, it’s crazy enough to think of Taylor also being a Joy the Baker fan. Can’t imagine how that feels for Joy.) There’s also two sources of the recipe in the words of Taylor herself. One is handwritten, and the other is from a Tumblr post. Both feel very 2013!
Needless to say, this recipe has been made by probably hundreds of thousands of people, and who knows how many times it’s been posted. Joy even reposted the cookies with the addition of some spices to be Taylor Swift’s Cookies. For those wondering why Taylor Swift has such a powerful influence and has risen to such fame… it’s because she’s #JustLikeUs, and puts her own twists on Joy the Baker’s cookies. Can’t think of another pop star who does that!
Which brings me to… why am I finally making these this year?
Well, it’s because Molly and I cashed in all our kismet/good karma/luck for a decade, and scored face-value, FIFTH ROW seats to Taylor’s last US show of the Eras Tour, in our hometown of Indianapolis!!!!!! It was a crazy story of luck that frankly I cannot believe happened. Tickets originally went on sale and sold out on August 9, 2023. Molly got access through a credit card to buy tickets over 13 months later, and somehow scored two separate seats in the same section, two seats apart, in the fifth row on the floor.
Going to Indy for the show felt very special. Indy was decked out to celebrate, with a 35 story photo of Taylor on a downtown hotel, and balloon arches all over the airport. I received a friendship bracelet after deboarding my plane! Everyone on my plane was a Swiftie! The excitement was palpable! And getting to see Taylor perform all her songs that have soundtracked my life, in my hometown where I heard most of them for the first time, felt extra special. She says “Are you ready to go back to high school with me, Indy?” before her Fearless set, and it felt extra special to sing along in the city I went to high school in! All this to say, I was filled with a whole new level of Indiana pride and nostalgia getting to see how the city welcomed all the out of town fans.
So naturally, the best way to celebrate was to make these cookies. It was an extra pleasure making these in my parents’ kitchen with all my old classic kitchen supplies.
And these cookies were a big hit! Molly described them as being like chai-flavored lebkuchen, which is an assessment I concur with. I will definitely be re-making these, and potentially putting my own riff(s) on them. Maybe with new teas, or with enough spices to make them fully like Lebkuchen.
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PinIngredients
For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bag of chai tea
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Cinnamon sugar for rolling
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar
- 1/2 bag of chai tea, or 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, all of the spices, and the tea. Beat to combine.
- Add the egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low.
- The dough will be soft. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle.
- For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness. Roll each cookie dough in a small bowl of cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients to thick but spreadable. Dip each cookie into the glaze to cover the top. It may drip off the sides while it hardens, so set it on a rack to dry. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh nutmeg or cinnamon if desired. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
From Joy the Baker… and Taylor Swift