Brown Butter Chai Spice Sugar Cookies
Description
Soft-centered sugar cookies rolled in a warm chai spice sugar coating, with crispy golden edges and a deep brown butter flavor. A cozy blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves runs throughout every bite. No chill time required, making them a quick and easy holiday baking project. Yields about 15-16 cookies.
Ingredients
Chai Spice
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 300g
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chai spice mixture 10g
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 4g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 4g
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226g
- 1 cup light brown sugar 215g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 2 large eggs room temperature, 105g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8g
Chai Spice Sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 2 teaspoons chai spice mixture
Instructions
- Mix together all the spices for the chai spice mixture. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the butter into tablespoons, add to a medium saucepan, and heat over medium for 5-7 minutes until the butter turns dark amber. Remove from heat just before it looks too dark; residual heat will brown it further.
- Pour the brown butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let cool for 10 minutes.
- While the butter cools, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chai spice mixture, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add both sugars to the brown butter. Beat on medium-high for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time on medium-high (about 1 minute each), followed by the vanilla extract until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until no streaks remain.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the chai spice sugar coating. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into balls, then roll in the chai spice sugar. Place 6-8 scoops on each baking sheet spaced a few inches apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350°F, until the edges are set and the middles are still soft.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes to set before serving.
Notes
- These cookies will keep up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- The cookies will look underdone in the center when removed from the oven — that's what gives them soft middles.