Taking the average snickerdoodle beyond your wildest expectations.
Snickerdoodles regularly disappoint me. They promise so much—a dynamic duo of sugar and spice, the tantalizing combination of crispy edges and chewy center—but often they’re just a slightly puffy sugar cookie dusted with an afterthought of cinnamon.
I always knew they could be more. Beyond hundreds of under-spiced, overly soft snickerdoodles lay a magically delicious cookie. So I went and found it. May I introduce you to the White Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodle.
Filled with homemade chai spice and dotted with white chocolate chips, these cookies take the average snickerdoodle to the next level. Butter and a carefully balanced combination of brown and white sugar team up to create a cookie that’s thin and crunchy around the edges with the perfect chewy center, while the white chocolate chips add pockets of pure vanilla sweetness that simultaneously relieve and compliment the spice in the dough. Forget just meeting expectations—these cookies are beyond everything that you ever dreamed a snickerdoodle could be.
Enjoy!
White Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
(Makes 20)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/3 cups (167 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
Special equipment: electric hand mixer or stand mixer, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper
Method
In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, kosher salt. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the blended chai spice and whisk it in. In a separate, larger bowl, beat together butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined, then slowly stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Meanwhile, arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Add remaining ½ cup granulated sugar to remaining chai spice in the small bowl and stir to combine.
Scoop chilled cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Roll in chai sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Bake 11-13 minutes, or until cookies are set and golden around the edges. (Do not overbake; cookies will set up as they cool.) Let cookies cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
Originally posted November 28, 2022.