Chocolate Chai Cookies might just warm your heart and soothe your soul. Warming spices and melting chocolate fill a delicious soft, buttery cookie. 
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These Chocolate Chai Cookies are near and dear to my heart.
I created this recipe more than a dozen years ago, and I’m sharing it for the first time. Well, sharing it in writing — many people have eaten them over the years!
What is Chai?
- Chai is the generic word for tea in Hindi, in India. Chai is derived from the Chinese word for tea, which is Cha.
- Chai is a mix of spices steeped into a tea-like beverage, and recipes for it can vary greatly.
- Traditional ingredients for Chai usually include black tea mixed with strong spices, like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and black peppercorns.
- The tea is typically brewed strong, and has milk and sugar or honey added to it.
There’s no tea in my Chocolate Chai Cookies — just the alluring, exotic spices.
Fiery and sweet at the same time, this incredibly flavorful spice blend makes for a delicious and calming (yes, calming), cookie-eating experience.
They’ll warm your heart and soothe your soul. Try them and see.
These Chocolate Chai Cookies are hands down my favorite cookies I’ve ever made. And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve made a lot of cookie recipes I love.
Tips for making Chocolate Chai Cookies
- If you choose to grind whole spices, I suggest using an electric spice grinder, rather than a mortar and pestle. We want the spices as fine as possible. (You can also use pre-ground spices, of course.)
- I use milk chocolate in this recipe. I have tested it with both semisweet and dark chocolate, and find that the milk chocolate doesn’t compete as much with the flavor of the spices.
- The baking time is 7 minutes. You want them to be only slightly crisp on the edges and almost doughy looking in the very center. They will still be good if they’re baked a bit past this point, but I prefer the texture this way.
- You can reuse the parchment paper after each batch is baked. No need to keep using new sheets.
- Final tip: share! 🙂
Enjoy every last crumb!
If you try these cookies, or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook to keep up with my mouth-watering recipes!
Chocolate Chai Cookies might just warm your heart and soothe your soul. Warming spices and melting chocolate fill a delicious soft, buttery cookie.
Makes 4 dozen | Serving size: 2 cookies
- 14 ounces milk chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 large egg
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Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
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Combine the chai spices in a small bowl and chop the chocolate. Set these aside, too.
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In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and baking soda with the chai spices and salt.
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In a slightly larger mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with the sugars, vanilla, molasses, and cream. Then, gradually blend in the egg.
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Add the flour mixture and stir only until the flour is incorporated. Then fold in the chocolate chunks.
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Use an (approximately 1 1/4-inch) cookie scoop to shape the dough into balls, placing each one on the parchment-lined baking sheets as you go. (At this point, the balls can be very close together.) Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least 1 hour.
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While the dough is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350° F.
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Place 9 to 12 of the shaped cookie dough balls on another parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes, just until the dough has solidified. It will still look a bit doughy -- which is perfect!
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Carefully remove the baked cookies with a metal spatula and place them on a cooling rack.
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Repeat this process until all of the cookies are baked.
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anneliesz says
November 21, 2011 at 6:05 amThanks for posting this recipe. I can still taste these cookies in my mind a week later. Delicious and soon to be bookmarked.
averagebetty says
November 21, 2011 at 5:21 pmYUM! I love that you have listed the chai spices and didn’t use a packet of tea — brands can vary so much. I am a sucker for anything Chai — I must try these!! xoxoxo
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family, Valentina!
Sippitysup says
November 21, 2011 at 7:49 pmBlack pepper! That’s the secret ingredient. Thanks for sharing. GREG
Nancy Rose Eisman says
November 21, 2011 at 8:23 pmThanks so much for sharing these cookies with us. I love them too!
Trish says
November 21, 2011 at 8:48 pmThese are perfect for the holidays! I’ve got these on my bakin to-do list. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
valentina says
November 24, 2011 at 4:44 amThanks, Trish! Hope you love them!
Christina says
November 22, 2011 at 1:49 amThe spices of chai are very calming to me. Generic word for tea- I learned something new!
valentina says
November 24, 2011 at 4:43 amThanks, Christina! 🙂
Patricia from Fresh Food in a Flash says
November 22, 2011 at 2:36 amThanks Valentina. I just printed out the recipe and hope to bake these up soon. They were delish!
Jeanne @JollyTomato says
November 22, 2011 at 8:46 pmWOW – these look amazing! They’re on my “to-bake” list, maybe after I finish making all of the pies I need to bake this week. Can’t wait to try them!
amee says
November 30, 2011 at 1:45 pmAwesome. Just Awesome, Valentina!
Lentil Breakdown says
February 24, 2014 at 10:20 pmIf you adapt this to be a GF recipe, let me know! These are my fave spices!!
valentina says
February 25, 2014 at 12:44 amI will do it – for you! I’ll keep you posted, Adair.
Jennifer says
February 25, 2014 at 4:13 amThese sound absolutely wonderful! Can’t wait to try them.
valentina says
February 27, 2014 at 8:03 amThanks, Jen! 🙂
Jillian says
January 8, 2019 at 8:44 pmThese cookies look amazing!! They are just the way I like them, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside!
valentina says
January 9, 2019 at 8:50 amThanks Jillian. I hope you give them a go. 🙂
Veena Azmanov says
January 8, 2019 at 11:36 pmThis is unique and flavorful. Love to have them with my Tea for sure. They look delicious and Crispy.
valentina says
January 9, 2019 at 8:51 amThanks! They’re perfect with tea, of course. 🙂
Cathy says
January 9, 2019 at 1:55 amThese look delish Valentina! I just love the idea of all these spices in a cookie. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside already! 🙂
valentina says
January 9, 2019 at 8:51 amRight!? Thank you, Cathy. There’s just something about those spices that induce warm & fuzzy. 🙂
Dannii says
January 9, 2019 at 2:30 amThese cookies sound amazing and they have all my favourite flavours in them too.
valentina says
January 9, 2019 at 8:52 amThanks so much, Dannii!
Emmeline says
January 9, 2019 at 3:32 amI love love love Chai so this is a must-try for me! Just finished the last of the Christmas cookies sooo….
valentina says
January 9, 2019 at 8:52 amOh you better replenish your cookie stash! 😉 Thanks for the visit and enjoy!