I Tried Taylor Swift's Chai Cookies Recipe, And There's 1 Crucial Change I Recommend Trying

As fall descended during those infinity-scarf-and-skinny-jeans-wearing days, Taylor began sharing her favorite recipes to Tumblr. Almost all evidence of them—and her baking-with-besties era—has been wiped from social media, after she cleared her accounts pre-Reputation announcement, but the internet never forgets.

Deep in the depths of reddit, fans have shared screenshots of said recipes, including The Chai Sugar Cookies (Taylor’s version). There’s a handwritten note outlining the recipe, as well as a full typed Tumblr post, which helps address some of the holes in the handwritten original (more on that in a second).

Since I couldn’t get tickets to the Eras tour, I stacked my friendship bracelets and got to baking, streaming the concert movie from Disney+ for ambience. After testing the recipe a couple ways, there’s one crucial change I’d make.

But first…

Swift credits Joy the Baker for inspiring this recipe, which she served to fans during the 1989 Secret Sessions—aka album prerelease listening parties, reserved for the biggest Swifties of the time. It’s essentially a recipe for vanilla sugar cookies, only hers are infused with Chai spices because she “thought it would infuse cozy holiday vibez into the cookie, and it really did,” she writes. They’re also topped with a cinnamon-dusted icing or glaze, depending on how much you thin it out, but she also shares, “they’re fine on their own.”

While she says you can shortcut the baking process by using store-bought sugar cookie mix—how very Ina of her!—I wanted to go full Swift.

The recipe itself stands out in a few ways:

1. It calls for butter AND vegetable oil. This is brilliant on Joy’s part, because the butter adds necessary flavor and a little heft—preventing them from spreading too far as they bake—while the oil creates a dense-yet-tender crumb. The cookie tastes more chewy than cakey that way.
2. It uses granulated AND confectioners sugar. Joy calls the confectioners sugar a must for absorbing some of the oil (so the cookie isn’t leaching grease) while maintaining its softness.
3. It calls for a Chai tea bag…but her handwritten note offers no clues as to how, exactly, to add it in. Joy uses her own blend of spices, but that requires buying—and storing—them all, which is why I love Taylor’s shortcut. (Also, lest you think I’m dragging Tay for forgetting that step, I’ll be honest: I’m a recipe developer, and I’ve done it countless times.) In her typed post, Taylor clarifies: You cut open the packet and dump the contents in after adding the wet ingredients, just before the flour, salt and baking soda go in.
4. She recommends chilling the dough for 1 hour or more. This helps resolidify the butter, so the cookie spreads out less, but it also gives the flavors time to meld.

The recipe is practically foolproof, with the biggest challenge being getting the consistency of the icing to your liking.

However, for the sake of science (and for those of us who don’t have the patience to wait one-third of a concert for cookies to chill), I tried two batches: One baked on parchment paper and chilled an hour. One on a greased sheet, as Swift recommends, baked immediately. 

Here’s, essentially, what you’re doing:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or parchment-line your baking sheets.
2. Beat butter and vegetable oil. Add sugar, confectioners sugar, egg, vanilla and the contents of a Chai tea bag. Stir it all up. Stir in the flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Scoop into one-inch balls and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
4. Make the icing*, and decorate the cookies only after they’ve cooled completely (which takes at least 20 minutes or so).

*This is where my version differs from Swift’s and Joy’s.

Wow, are they tender! These cookies stay ridiculously soft, even a day later, thanks to that butter-and-vegetable-oil combo. Despite their softness, the texture is a bit gritty, but the buttery, vanilla flavor and cozy Chai spices really shine through. The seasonings add depth to the cookie, making it less cloying than the typical sugar cookie—it’s a sophisticated twist, yet it’s not such a deviation that kids can’t enjoy ‘em too.

I love the cookies’ cinnamon spice and sweetness, but I wanted something to offset the slightly gritty texture—and add a little tanginess to round out the flavor. A fluffy, almost whipped cream-like cream cheese frosting is my answer.

Swift’s icing is more of a glaze, combining a cup of confectioners sugar with a ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of milk or eggnog. It creates a nice, sugary finish, though I’d recommend starting with just one tablespoon of milk or eggnog, mixing it in fully and checking the consistency before adding more. At 3, the glaze was so runny that it dripped everywhere and was about as thick as buttermilk.

If you want to try cream cheese frosting instead, here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block), room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer—or in a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer—beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fully combined.
2. Add confectioners sugar, cinnamon and salt, beating it on the lowest setting until fully combined.
3. Slather atop cooled cookies, or on the bottom of one cookie, placing another on the other side to create sandwich cookies.