Indian Chai Spiced Cookies

Christmas is a lovely time to bake all kinds of cookies. Chai is a staple drink in India, tealeaves are produced in Darjeeling region of India, and every household has their own mix of Chai spice. I decided to make Chai Spiced Cookies flavored with Indian Tea and Chai Masala, which are perfect for dunking in your coffee or holiday drinks.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped cashew nuts
• 2 Tbsp Darjeeling tea powder(finely ground)
• 2 tsp Chai Masala

for Chai Masala:

• 2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp clove powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of black pepper powder

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and both kinds of sugar until the sugar has completely incorporated.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, soda, tea powder, Chai masala and keep aside.
3. Add the egg to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the cashew pieces. Scoop cookie dough into balls with a cookie scoop and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, just until the edges start to brown. Cool for 5 minutes and store in an airtight jar.

Tips:

• You can keep your cookies soft by adding a slice of bread in the container of the cookies.
• You can also add pistachio nuts instead of the cashews.
• Adjust the Chai masala and tea ratio to your taste.

By Swarna Koneru
ICC Professional Culinary Arts student

[name] graduated from the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. ICC’s culinary education legacy lives on at ICE, where you can explore your own future in food.