Tis the season for sugar, spice, and all things cookies! With brown butter and chai spice, these cozy snickerdoodles are my dream holiday cookie. Brown butter takes pillowy snickerdoodles rolled in sparkling chai spice sugar to a new level of deliciousness.

Perfectly soft and chewy, it simply doesn’t get much better than a steaming mug of chai tea and a snickerdoodle. These are great for gifting, too – wrap up a few cookies in a cello bag or festive box, add ribbon and a gift tag, and you’re all set!

Brown Butter Chai Snickerdoodles

Yield: 28 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For rolling

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Pour browned butter into a glass measuring cup and chill in the freezer until solidified, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat solidified brown butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy; beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F (If cookie dough has chilled overnight, let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse for 1 minutes. Transfer chai sugar to a shallow bowl. Scoop 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and dredge in chai sugar twice; place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 11 to 12 minutes, until edges and tops are set. Cool for 4 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 138
Carbohydrates: 18

P.S. I baked these cookies as part of a blogger holiday cookie exchange! To satisfy your cookie cravings, you’ll find plenty more inspiration from the fab group of bloggers below, and be sure to join in the fun on Instagram! (find us via #holidaycookieparty2016)

Holiday Cookie Exchange 2016

Wife Mama Foodie | Gluten Free Icebox Cookie

Now Forager | Vanilla Bean Marshmallow & Pink Peppercorn Shortbread Cookies

DisplacedHousewife | Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles

Tutti Dolci | Brown Butter Chai Snickerdoodles

The Daley Plate | Romany Creams

Fig & Bleu | Cornmeal & Cherry Shortbreads

Cloudy Kitchen | Anzac Biscuits

The Beach House Kitchen | Double Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Vanilla and Bean | Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Chez LaRae | White Rollout Cookies

Husbands That Cook | Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

Rainy Day Bites | Melody Cookies

Bakeritablog | Brown Butter Shortbreads With Dark Chocolate

The Jam Lab | Thandai Shortbread Cookies

Katie Clova | Espresso Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

Food Fashion Party | Stuffed Shortbread Cookies

My Kitchen Love | Chocolate Toffee Shortbread

No Crumbs Left | Peanut Butter Blossoms

Hi, I’m Laura and welcome to Tutti Dolci, a baking and desserts blog celebrating all things sweet. Featuring beautiful, approachable recipes for everyday and entertaining, I love to put my own twist on classic desserts and inspire a passion for baking.

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