In celebration of attending the Eras Tour at Metlife Stadium on May 27th, it only seemed fitting to bake the infamous Taylor Swift Chai Sugar Cookies (food allergy version).
Okay, so concert talk first then cookies? Glad we are on the same page. (And just in case you are only here for the cookie recipe, click here).
The concert was a truly amazing experience. My sister and I are still pinching ourselves, because we cannot believe the night was real and not just a figment of our imagination. We attended many of the shows through grainy live streams but got the chance to attend Night 2 at Metlife Stadium in person. The day was a fairytale, from the travel to the stadium, the weather, the company, and, obviously, the show!
It isn't lost on us how lucky we were to get tickets, let alone how grateful we were to be there. It was Ashley and my 3rd Taylor Swift concert (previously attended the Red Tour and the 1989 Tour), but it was Joe's first show and definitely one for the books he got to experience.
I am still in a "Lavender Haze" from that night and probably could make a whole blog about just the show, with pictures and videos, but being that you technically came in for a cookie recipe, I will reframe myself.
AD
Now, for the cookies:
Taylor's Version uses spices, butter, and all-purpose flour. I made a couple of test batches, before finalizing this food allergy version.
In one of my test batches, I used chai itself and ground it up with a mortar and pestle. This way created a MUCH stronger chai flavor, so I only recommend doing this if you really and truly LOVE the taste of chai. I also recommend making sure you ground it up entirely or else you will be left with chunks of chai in your cookie. If you do it this way, skip all the spices in the recipe and just add 1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon of the grounded chai blend.
In the next batch, I made the cookies using a chai spice blend. I liked the spice blend better, which is what I ended up with in the final version of this recipe below.
Additionally, I used two types of cookie scoops: a medium-sized scoop and a large-sized scoop. If you are using regular all-purpose flour, feel free to use whichever cookie scoop size you desire. If you are using all-purpose gluten-free flour, I suggest using a small or medium-sized cookie scoop. When using the larger scoop on the gluten-free dough, the cookies tended to be more crumbly and break apart easily. Meanwhile, they held together better with the small and medium-sized cookie scoops.
Lastly, Taylor's recipe mentions putting the dough in the fridge to chill. For regular flour, this step helped with the baking process. However, when using gluten-free flour, this step made the batter tough to scoop and crumbly before even baking, making the end result of the cookie unable to withstand structure. In this food allergy version of Taylor's cookie, I skipped the chilling step.
AD
Alternative ingredients you can use:
Palm Shortening can be equally replaced with ½ cup or 1 stick of butter, dairy-free or regular.
Sunflower oil can be equally replaced with any vegetable oil you have at home, such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or even olive. I just suggest using a lighter.
As mentioned above, you can skip all the spices in the recipe and just add 1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon of the grounded chai blend. I used a mortar and pestle to grind up my chai spice from a tea bag.
If you aren't allergic to corn, you can use whatever powdered sugar you like. For us corn-free folks, I recommend Wholesome's Powdered Sugar.
For Taylor Swift's Chai Sugar Cookies & Icing recipe, click here. For our food allergy version, scroll down. Happy baking!
Chai Sugar Cookies
(Food Allergy Version)
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
½ cup palm shortening
½ cup sunflower oil
½ cup golden cane sugar
½ cup corn-free powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cinnamon and sugar mixture for topping
For the Glaze:
1 ½ cups corn-free powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling the top of the cookies
3 tablespoons dairy-free milk
AD
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the palm shortening on medium speed for about 1 minute.
Add the sunflower oil - It may not fully incorporate with the shortening, but that is okay.
Add the cane sugar, powdered sugar, and all of the spices. Beat to combine.
Add the egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low until the softened dough begins to form.
In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cane sugar to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. You can repeat this step if you run low later on when topping the dough.
Using a small to medium-sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough and release it into the palm of your hand. Handling delicately, roll the dough into the sugar and cinnamon mixture before carefully placing it on the prepared baking sheet. Keep the dough about 2 inches apart. If you want, you can lightly press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to about ¼-inch thickness.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for medium cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients to be thick but spreadable. Spread each cooled cookie with glaze just over the center, leaving the edges of the cookie free of glaze. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon, if you would like. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Comments