Chai Snickerdoodles

Several weeks ago, I was making cookies for a big party. And that meant a lot of cookies. That I had to take on an airplane.... going through security was never as stressful as when they just stared at the x-ray of my carry-on. But no worries, they all made it back safely, except for a few peanut butter ones that broke. But these are not peanut butter cookies. No, these are very different. And just as good.

These are snickerdoodles flavored with several chai spices. The sugar mixture you roll them in also contains the spices. I made this recipe a long time ago and loved it, so when I realized that I wouldn't have time to make roll-out sugar cookies for the party, I went back to these. I don't regret it! Everybody liked them, and you could really taste the ginger. The family members who were organizing the party were claiming the leftover cookies before the party was over!

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Baking Bites. Please head on over to Nicole's site - she has some really great recipes! Enjoy!

Chai Snickerdoodles (Baking Bites)

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup butter, soft

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and spices; remove 1/2 cup of this mixture and place in a medium-sized, shallow dish or bowl (like a soup plate). Add butter to bowl and cream with sugar mixture until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between balls to allow for spreading.
Bake for about 12 minutes, until edges are firm to the touch, but not quite browned. Cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.