As the days get shorter and the air smells of rain and leaves, it's just the right time for a little kitchen magic. These "Dirty Chai Cookies" combine the best of autumn—spicy chai, a hint of espresso, and the sweet scent of cinnamon. Inspired by Taylor Swift's famous chai cookie recipe, I created my own, slightly "dirty" version: with brown butter and a frosting that tastes like a caramel latte macchiato! Perfect for the first rainy Sunday with a cup of coffee, a blanket, and maybe Taylor's new album playing in the background...
How Taylor Swift inspired these Dirty Chai Cookies
If you have a Swiftie in your life, you've probably experienced firsthand what an album release means to them... Did they even get out of bed that day? Or just go to the movies that evening to catch the official release party?
A new Taylor Swift album is something like a holiday for Swifties. Life stops for a moment, the world stops turning, and you can just immerse yourself in the new lyrics and melodies. "The Life of a Showgirl" came out on October 3rd, and all Swifties immediately jumped on these new songs. On a weekend like this, everything revolves around Taylor, her music, the Easter eggs, meanings, metaphors, interviews, and friendship bracelets. You can laugh about it or just rejoice with us!
(And if you've heard the song "Wood," you'll understand why I had to create a dirty version of these cookies! If you're feeling particularly unhinged, you can even bake them in the shape of a Redwood tree!)
Many years ago, Taylor Swift shared this handwritten chai cookie recipe with her fans. It's the perfect recipe to welcome fall or celebrate the new Taylor Swift album!
Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of baking with oil. I usually find that butter has more flavor and works better, especially with cookie recipes. You don't have to flatten the cookies before baking; they just melt naturally during baking! Therefore, I opted for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe by Bigger Bolder Baking . I just reduced the sugar a bit, since we'll be rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar and glazing the chai cookies with icing.
I came across this particularly delicious icing on Tiktok, in this post. I could so well imagine that espresso and brown butter in the icing would take the recipe to a whole new level, and it certainly does! The icing tastes like coffee toffee. Like coffee and caramel, and I could almost eat it straight out of the bowl – absolutely delicious!
I can tell you one thing: Whether you're a fall fan or a Swiftie, this recipe is for everyone. You'll love it!
More Fall Recipes
Are you in the autumn mood and need that on your plate? Then you'll find my recipe for Pumpkin Spicehere, which you can also use for this recipe! If you want to start cooking or baking with pumpkin, you can here find my recipe for homemade pumpkin puree.
Taylor Swift inspired Dirty Chai Cookies
These Dirty Chai Cookies are inspired by Taylor Swift's popular chai cookie recipe and combine fall spices with a hint of espresso. Delicate cookies with chai tea and cinnamon sugar are finished with a flavorful glaze made from brown butter, espresso, powdered sugar, and vanilla—perfect for cozy afternoons with a cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients:
For the Cookies
For the Cinnamon Sugar
For the "Dirty" Icing
Instructions:
Baking the Chai Cookies:
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Place the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well with a hand mixer. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fluffy and lightened in color.
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Now add the flour, salt, baking soda, and the contents of one chai tea bag. Stir briefly on low speed until all the ingredients are just combined and no flour clusters are visible.
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Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to 7 days.
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Form the dough into small balls, about the size of a small walnut. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and roll the balls in the mixture. Then refrigerate them for at least another hour. Let them chill thoroughly before baking.
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Preheat your oven to 190°C, top/bottom heat.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough balls on it. Bake for 8-10 minutes (it took 9 minutes for me). Let them cool for only a few minutes.
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Now take a large drinking glass and place it over one of the chai cookies. Make a circular motion with the glass (and the cookie inside) to shape the chai cookie into a round shape (see video). Use this technique to shape all of the chai cookies into round shapes and then let them cool completely.
Finish with icing
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Heat about 1.5 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Let it brown, then remove it immediately from the heat.
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Now, mix all the icing ingredients in a small bowl and glaze the chai cookies. Immediately after icing, add a pinch of pumpkin spice to each cookie. Let the icing dry, and then you can serve and enjoy these chai cookies.
Nutritional Information
servings 41
- Amount per Serving
- Calories 79.9kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 3.21g5%
- Potassium 9.95mg1%
- Total Carbohydrate 11.68g4%
- Dietary Fiber 0.18g1%
- Sugars 8.51g
- Protein 0.73g2%
** The daily percentages are based on a 2000 kcal diet. Your daily figures might be higher or lower according to your caloric need.
Remark
idea: Dark chocolate could also go well with these sweet chai cookies. I haven't tried it yet, but if you're interested, be sure to tell me how it worked out in the comments!
Advertisement (Affiliate): I used the Chai Tea from Yogi for this recipe. The tea doesn't contain black tea, but only the chai spice blend, making it especially suitable for this recipe!
