Have you ever tried chai chocolate chip cookies?

Estimated read time 5 min read

I really like chocolate chip cookies!  But I don’t really need to eat a lot of them.  I much prefer to make them and try different recipes.  And then sharing them and seeing how others react.  This recipe is a modification of the grand prize winner of the chocolate chip cookie contest in the reference below, [1].  This book was given to me by my mother years ago when I was still in university and exploring baking recipes.   I’ve been wanting to really get that chai flavour into some recipes and I’m hoping I got it in this chai chocolate chipe cookies recipe. 

Now the kitchen did smell like chai when I was making the cookies. Then when they came out of the oven all baked, even more of that chai fragrance came out with the cookies. It was a v very chai smelling experience! Even that first bite of the first cookie out of the oven had that sweet yet spicy taste that you get from a chai latte.  I’m starting to learn not to be shy with the spices and tea in some of these recipes.  It’s easy to be cautious and not put much in but when we have tea, we are just drinking the tea steeped on it’s own.  No real competing flavours. But when it’s incorporated into a recipe, now the tea has to compete against the other ingredients and flavours.   In any case, this was a positive attempt at chai incorporated into a recipe.

Chai chocolate chip cookies
Chai chocolate chip cookies on the bottom teir.

Figure 1. Bottom tier: Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies;  Top tier: Clipper chocolate Chipper

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ c flour
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1c butter
  • 1 tsp concentrated chai
  • ¾ c granulated sugar
  • ¾ c brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 c of ground ginger power, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, dark cocoa powder*
  • 2 tbsp concentrate chai**
  • 1c walnuts
  • 1 bag (250g) dark chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Combine flour and baking soda and set aside.
  2. Cream butter and add in 1 tsp concentrate chai, either straight chai tea or chai latte, and sugars. Beat until fluffy.
  3. Beat in egg.
  4. Mix in the 1/3c of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and dark cocoa powder. You don’t have to use dark cocoa powder but I prefer dark chocolate to milk or semi sweet. But this choice is yours.
  5. Mix in the 2 tbsp of concentrated chai, again either straight chai tea or a chai latte. Your choice.
  6. Mix in the dry ingredients just until blended.
  7. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
  8. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto a foil-lined baking sheets.
  9. Bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes. I find 15 minutes works best for me but check after 12 minutes.  Every oven is different.
  10. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a bit before removing from the sheet.

 Makes about 3-4 dozen.

 Recipe Notes:

*So for the ground spices and cocoa, honestly I started with a tablespoon of each until I got close to 1/3 of a cup.  I used the cocoa powder the least as I knew the chocolate chips would give that chocolatey taste so wasn’t worried. 

 ** For the concentrated chai, I put about 1/2c of milk in a pot on a stove and more than 3 tbsp of chai mix into it and let it brew.  It was very concentrated, and I nearly gaged which I drank it but, this is good!  Because I’ve noticed that the sugar and other ingredients in the baking recipes I’ve tried, end up diluting the flavour of the chai or tea that is being added.  I decided to try very concentrated chai this time and to add what I felt was and excessive amount of the spices and I think it came through this time. 

Modifications for future versions: 

The one modification is a personal one and that would be the 1/3c of mixed spices.  Since I don’t give exact quantities of the spices used here, this is were personal taste comes in. But the aim is for 1/3 c of mixed spices.  Allspice could be used here as well.  I have been toying with the idea of adding just abit of chilli powder to a get that slight bit of heat like you’d get in a Mexican hot chocolate.

Alternate tea choice: 

Chocolate Chaga Cake is an obvious Alternate tea.  I think any black tea would be great here too. For example an Earl Grey or English Breakfast.

Note: 

I’m no cook, chef or baker so everything I make is based on the enjoyment of creating something new, cooking, baking and especially tea!  I hope you enjoy the recipes, both making them and the tasting the results!

 References:

  1. The Search for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, Gwen Steege, Story Communications, Inc. 1988.
Lani and Norm
Lani and Norm

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge. Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family. Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!

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