These chai cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges, perfectly spiced, and filled with cheesecake. They bake up thick, soft, with a gooey center. These chai cookies are filled with chai tea, and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. This recipe is easy to make and follow, and it's actually quite easy to stuff the cookies with the filling! If you don't want to make the cheesecake filling, I've included instructions on how to bake them without the filling. They're the perfect cozy cookie to make for fall.
These cookies are especially lovely when enjoyed with a steaming cup of pumpkin spice chai latte.
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Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Double chai: Two whole teabags of spiced chai and a chai spiced sugar for rolling give these cookies a beautiful spiced chai flavor. The chai teabags are important because they give the cookies better flavor than just using spices.
- Cheesecake filling: A simple three ingredient cream cheese filling is easy to whip up and creates a lovely, rich and gooey center.
- Chewy cookies with crisp edges: These cookies have the perfect texture. Crisp edges, with a soft and chewy center.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Chai Tea: I used the tea that comes in regular paper tea bags. Just cut them open and dump them into the cookie dough. The tea that comes in tea bags is finer than loose-leaf and blend with the cookie dough the best and don't affect the texture. If you need to use a loose-leaf tea, I recommend grinding or blending the tea to a finer texture so that you don't get tea leaves in your teeth.
Brown and granulated sugar: Brown sugar gives the cookies that delicious molasses flavor and moisture (chew), while granulated gives the cookie more crisp.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Baking soda: Allows cookies to spread in the oven and gives them an airier, chewier texture.
Baking powder: Baking powder gives the cookie dough a bit more lift in the oven, preventing the cookies from spreading too much and becoming very flat. This doesn't create a cakey cookie. Check that it isn't expired so that it works properly in the recipe!
Butter: I use unsalted butter to be able to control the saltiness in the cookies. You could use salted butter, but keep in mind that the spread of the cookie may be different with salted butter and don't forget to omit the added salt!
Cream cheese: Full fat brick style cream cheese will work the best when stuffing cookies. This is because cream cheese has a lower moisture content and sets better than low fat or spreadable cream cheese.
Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg: These are the most common spices found in chai. They get mixed in with the rolling sugar for extra spice and flavor. For a bit more of a spicy kick, feel free to add a touch of freshly ground black pepper.
👩🍳 How to make chai cookies
Cream cheese filling step by step
Make this one hour before making the cookie dough so that the filling has a chance to freeze. You can make the cheesecake cookie filling 1-2 days ahead of time and freeze until you're ready to make the cookie dough and bake the cookies.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix together until creamy.
Step 2: Transfer to a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the end cut off. Pipe 16 dollops onto a parchment lined baking sheet or plate. Place the baking sheet into the freezer to freeze.
Chai cookie dough step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Open the teabags and add the contents into the bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until it starts to get light and creamy.
Step 2: Add one egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the bowl. Stir together to form a cookie dough.
Step 4: Portion the cookie dough into 16 balls. I used a 1.35 oz (2.7 tablespoon scoop) for this.
Step 5: Remove the cream cheese from the freezer. One by one, flatten each cookie dough ball and add the cream cheese filling into the center. Press the cookie dough around the filling. Work quickly so that the filling doesn't melt.
Expert stuffed cookie tip: Keep the cheesecake filling frozen! It's so much easier to fill the cookie dough with frozen filling. If it defrosts, stuffing the cookie dough will get super messy.
Step 6: Combine sugar and spices in a medium bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls into the sugar mixture, making sure that they get liberally coated.
Step 7: Bake the cookie dough for 12-13 minutes, leaving 2-3 inches of space in between to spread. I baked 6 cookies at a time. Place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge until you're ready to bake them.
If you're baking these cookies without the cheesecake filling: Pop the rolled and sugared cookie dough balls into the freezer for 20 minutes before baking. Reduce the baking time by 2 minutes.
✔️ Expert cookie tips
- If you're using looseleaf tea: Grind the tea before adding it in. If you're using tea in paper teabags, you don't need to grind it because it's quite fine already.
- Leave space for spreading when baking: These cookies spread in the oven so make sure that you leave at least 2 inches of space between each cookie when baking.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough that you aren't baking: This keeps the cookie dough chilled and ensures that they bake up perfectly and don't spread too much.
- Slightly underbake the cookies: The best texture is when the cookies are a touch underbaked (not raw!). I found that 13 minutes was perfect, but you may want to keep an eye on the time because it may vary slightly according to your oven.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
You can certainly make these chai cookies ahead of time. The cream cheese filling can be made a few days ahead of time. Store it in the freezer until you're ready to bake the cookies.
You can also freeze the stuffed cookie dough in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 months. Add an extra minute or two of baking time if you're cooking from frozen.
Store the baked cookies in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
❔ How do I bake chai cookies without filling?
If you're baking these cookies without the cheesecake filling, there are only two changes you need to make. Since the frozen cheesecake filling chills the cookie dough, you'll need to pop the rolled and sugared cookie dough balls into the freezer for about 20 minutes before baking. This is to just set the butter to prevent excessive spreading in the oven.
Since the cookies are also smaller, reduce the baking time by 2 minutes. Keep an eye on them and take them out when they achieve your desired doneness.
📖 Recipe FAQs
You could use loose-leaf tea, but I recommend that you grind the tea to a finer consistency so that you don't feel the texture in the cookies. Loose-leaf tea has a larger leaf size than tea in paper teabags (which is what I use in this recipe here).
Yes I highly recommend freezing the filling. It makes it so much easier to stuff the cream cheese into the cookie dough and is a lot less messy! Don't even try filling the cookies without freezing the filling. I tried and it was a terrible experience.
Yes, substitute the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour and you'll be good to go!
No, you don't need to chill the cookie dough. The frozen cream cheese filling that gets stuffed into the cookie dough actually chills the cookie dough.
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📖 Recipe
The Best Chai Cookies [with Cheesecake Filling]
Equipment
- large cookie sheet
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chai cookie dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 chai tea bags regular paper tea bags
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300g
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Spiced sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon cardamom ground
- ½ teaspoon ginger ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
Instructions
Cheesecake filling
- *Make this one hour before making the cookie dough so that the filling has a chance to freeze. You can make the cheesecake cookie filling 1-2 days ahead of time and freeze until you're ready to make the cookie dough and bake the cookies.*
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix together until creamy.8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Transfer to a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the end cut off. Pipe 16 dollops onto a parchment lined baking sheet or plate. Place the baking sheet into the freezer to freeze.
Chai cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Open the teabags and add the contents into the bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until it starts to get light and creamy.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 chai tea bags
- Add one egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the bowl. Stir together to form a cookie dough.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Portion the cookie dough into 16 balls. I used a 1.35 oz (2.7 tablespoon scoop) for this.
- Remove the cream cheese from the freezer. One by one, flatten each cookie dough ball and add the cream cheese filling into the center. Press the cookie dough around the filling. Work quickly so that the filling doesn't melt.
Spiced sugar
- Combine sugar and spices in a medium bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls into the sugar mixture, making sure that they get liberally coated.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Bake the cookie dough for 12-13 minutes, leaving 2-3 inches of space in between to spread. I baked 6 cookies at a time. Place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge until you're ready to bake them.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring onto a cooling rack to cool. Finish baking the cookies.
- If you're baking these cookies without the cheesecake filling: Pop the rolled and sugared cookie dough balls into the freezer for 20 minutes before baking. Reduce the baking time by 2 minutes.
Notes
- If you're using looseleaf tea grind the tea before adding it in. If you're using tea in paper teabags, you don't need to grind it because it's quite fine already.
- Leave 2-3" of space for spreading when baking.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough that you aren't baking.
- Slightly underbake the cookies for the perfect (not raw!) chew and soft texture.
- Keep the cheesecake filling frozen for easier stuffing
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