Chai Spiced Cookies with Egg Nog Glaze

It's that time of the Holiday Season where we focus on baking. We like making treats to share with neighbors, friends, and others. We're always looking for easy and yummy recipes to create with. I'm a big fan of chai teas and I love getting a hot one as a treat while wrapping up holiday shopping.

With that in mind, I tweaked one of our favorite rolled sugar cookie recipes to create these Chai Spiced Cookies with Egg Nog Glaze.


Cookie Ingredients: 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp gloves

Glaze Ingredients: 
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons egg nog

Cookie Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add in eggs and vanilla, mix until fully blended.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and spices over the top of the wet ingredients. Mix into the wet ingredients with either an electric mixer or a large wooden spoon. Mix until the dough forms a ball. (If the dough is a little too crumbly add one tablespoon of cold water.) Turn out onto a flat surface and knead one or two times. The dough should easily form a smooth ball.
5. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
6. When the dough has chilled for about one hour, remove from the plastic wrap and cut into four pieces. Working one quarter at a time, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into desired shapes. Continue to roll out and cut dough until no dough remains.
7. Place cookies onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Allow cookies to cool on tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Allow cookies to cool fully before glazing.

Glaze Directions: 
Shortly before glazing, mix the the powdered sugar and egg nog in a small bowl. Use a fork and mix until the glaze is smooth. (It should be about the consistency of toothpaste . . . I know sounds weird but it really is both somewhat thick and fluid.) If it is too thick, add a tiny bit of egg nog. If it is too thin, add a little powdered sugar.

To glaze the cookies, use a butter knife to spread a little of the glaze onto each cookie. I like to place them back onto a wire rack until the glaze "sets" or hardens.

It should make about 40 cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutters you use.

These are really pretty delicious, especially with a glass of milk. They just might have to be the ones we make for Santa this year!

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