12 Days of Cookies | Day 1: Chai Snickerdoodle (Gluten Free)
Kicking off the holiday season with a new spin on the cinnamon-centric fan-favorite: Snickerdoodle.
Snickerdoodles always seem to be a crowd favorite every holiday season. But, I never really loved them all that much. Maybe the cookies were too cake-like or were too crunchy. I’m forever a soft cookie girlie (with a nice crispy edge). So, for this first day of 12 Days of Cookies, I sought out to make a soft/chewy Snickerdoodle, with crispy edges, and a fresh spin on the cinnamon flavor. Enter the Chai Snickerdoodle.
Chai tea and Chai tea lattes are a go-to drink for me. Year round. I love it warm in the winter months and iced in the summer months. A few years ago, I created my own Chai Spice Mix so I could wean myself off of my coffee shop habit (a little) and make my own Chai concentrate at home. When thinking about the Snickerdoodle, it seemed like my Chai Spice Mix was the perfect pair to elevate the traditional cinnamon flavor profile.
What I love most about how this cookie turned out is:
It’s the perfect level of sweet and spice (and pairs perfectly with a cup of Chai…or coffee…or milk)
I use the counter smack method to ensure that these cookies don’t puff up and end up cake-like, and it’s a sure-fire way to make sure you’re cookies have some chew.
I hope you love these cookies as much as I love them. And, I hope they make it into your holiday rotation.
Let’s get bakin’.
How to Make a Chai Snicker Doodle
Start by preheating the oven to 350º.
Grab 1-2 full sheet pans and line them with silicon mats or parchment paper. Doing so will help prevent cookies from spreading too much (I much prefer silicon mats, but parchment works great, too).
In a mixing bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and whisk to combine: Flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, Chai Spice Mix, and ground ginger.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar, and cream together for 1-2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
Now add the flour mixture in batches (2-3 should do), and start your mixer on low each time to avoid the flour mixture blowing everywhere. Mix the dry ingredients until they just combine, being careful not to over mix.
Cover the bowl and place into the fridge for ~20 minutes to allow the gluten free flour to hydrate and the dough to firm up a bit.
While the dough chills, mix together the sugar and Chai Spice Mix together into a bowl and set aside.
After 20 minutes, the dough should be firm to the touch and not sticky.
Begin to roll the dough into rounded tablespoon balls about the size of a golf ball or ping pong bowl. And, then roll them into the sugar and Chai Spice Mix.
Place on your baking sheet, and bake each batch of cookies for 9-11 minutes…and keep this in mind:
IMPORTANT!
Halfway through the bake time (so approximately 4-5 minutes into baking), pull the baking sheet out of the oven and smack it on the counter (or another hard surface). This method helps ensure that your cookies don’t rise too much and end up cakey AND leave you with a beautiful chew when they’re done.
Chai Snickerdoodle Recipe
Yield: 3 dozen
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (~10 per each batch in the oven)
Total Time: 60-70 minutes
Servings: 36
Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories per serving: 100 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
Ingredients
Cookie
1 1/3 c sugar (315 g)
1 c butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 c gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp of Chai Spice Mix (see below)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Chai Spice Mix
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp clove
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c brown sugar
Sugar Coating
1/3 c gluten free flour
3 tbsp Chai Spice Mix
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350º
Line a large baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, Chai mixture, and ground ginger.
In a separate, large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes.
Add the vanilla and eggs. Mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture slowly in 2-3 parts.
Mix until the cookie dough just combines.
Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
While the dough chills, mix together the Chai Spice Mix and sugar into a bowl and set aside.
Using a rounded tablespoon scoop, make dough balls and round them out in your hand. They should be about the size of a golf ball or ping pong ball.
Roll them in the sugar and Chai Spice Mix.
Place on the baking sheet.
Bake 9-11 minutes. Halfway through, pull the baking sheet out of the oven and bang it on the counter or a hard surface. Then return the baking sheet back into the oven for the remainder of the time.
Allow the cookies to cool on a wire cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container with parchment or wax paper between each layer of cookies. Add a small slice of bread to the container to help the cookies remain soft.
Recipe Notes
Chai Spice Mix
You can omit the sugar from the recipe, if desired. If you do so, use half the amount of Chai Spice Mix specified in each step of the recipe (except for in the actual Chai Spice Mix).
This mixture is also a fantastic base to make a homemade Chai Spice concentrate. Just add black tea and water, and reduce the mixture. Serve over ice or with steamed milk for a latte.
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