A Cozy Fall Tea on the Porch: Chai Stamped Cookies & Chai Latte

Warm up your autumn mornings with homemade Chai Stamped Cookies, paired with a Creamy Chai Latte. These embossed cookies are infused with the warmly spiced flavor of chai and are fun to make using cookie stamps for a fall-themed gathering or teatime.

Welcome to the September edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month!

Pam and I are excited to welcome back a special guest,

Kitty, from Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen.

Kitty is a fellow tea enthusiast who shares delicious recipes and her love of cooking.

We’re glad you’re here too, pour yourself a cuppa and join us! ☕

You can find Pam and Kitty’s invitation to tea at the bottom of this post.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Whooooo besides me is ready for all things fall?

We’ve enjoyed some cooler weather the past couple of weeks that have really whet my appetite for all things cozy and fall, which means warmly-spiced flavors!

The woodland design of my Fitz and Floyd ‘Autumn Woods’ Owl Teapot with its leaves, acorns and harvest hues, makes it a whimsical centerpiece for a cozy fall tea.

Join me on the porch for warm mug of chai and some chai spiced cookies!

Stash Tea’s Double Spice Chai Black Tea is rich with cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ginger – all the classic spices that make chai so comforting. It’s bold, aromatic, and just the thing for chilly mornings or an afternoon pick-me-up!

A typical milk-to-chai ratio for a latte is 1:1, or a 2:1 ratio of chai to milk for a stronger flavor, depending on your preference.

How to make a Chai Latte:

☕ Steep two Double Spice Chai tea bags in a mug of hot water for 5 minutes, leaving room for milk.

☕ Warm and froth milk and pour it over the steeped tea, adding the quantity to your desired strength and frothiness to give your latte a traditional, creamy texture.

☕ Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar and sprinkle the top with grated nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.

The higher fat content of whole milk makes it the best candidate for frothing, creating a richer, creamier foam, but feel free to use a non-dairy milk alternative, like soy, oat or almond milk. I used my milk frother that was a gift from Kitty. It whips up a foam in seconds, perfect for a latte, cappuccino or hot chocolate!

Thank you again Kitty. 😊🧡

If you’re in the market for a milk frother, Zulay’s Kitchen Milk Frother has 4.4 out of 5 stars with 171,105 global ratings. I highly recommend it and it’s handy for making quick whipped cream, blending a protein shake or whisking up a salad dressing too!

To pair with my Chai Latte, I baked a batch of chai-spiced cookies using Nordic Ware’s Springerle Cookie Stamps.

These stamps make even the simplest cookie dough look elegant with their fall motifs. . .acorn, maple leaf and pinecone! You can use these stamps on shortbread or any cookie dough that doesn’t have baking powder / soda to maintain the embossed design.

Note: If you don’t want to invest in stamps, treat this recipe like cut-out cookie dough and cut shapes from the dough using cookie cutters.

To boost their warming spice flavor, these cookies have some chai seasoning in addition to tea.

Watkins Gourmet Organic Chai Powder is a blend of cinnamon, black tea, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and sugar. It would be wonderful added to in pancake / waffle batter, oatmeal, cookie dough, muffins or quick bread for extra depth of fall flavor!

 You can also make your own chai seasoning using spices you likely already have in your pantry. Check the printable recipe notes for a DIY blend.

There’s a bit of a learning curve when you first start stamping, but you quickly get the hang of it after your first couple of cookies! If you’re not happy with your first impression, you can reroll your dough and start over.

To stamp, rock the stamp in circular motion applying firm pressure to your ball of dough until it is flat and even and the stamp image transfers completely to the edge; any excess dough is easy to trim off with a kitchen knife.

Also the colder the stamp, the easier the dough releases which I discovered when I took a break from photographing and I placed my stamps in the freezer for a quick chill before resuming stamping.

I used my Silicone Pastry Non Stick Rolling / Baking Mat as a work surface and added a little sugar to the mat to prevent the cookies from sticking. You could also work on a piece of parchment paper to stamp your cookies.

The relief in the acorn stamp is not as deep as the pinecone or maple leaf, so you don’t get as a distinct impression once baked, but they taste just as good!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Chai Stamped Cookies, recipe adapted Sprinkles Bakes

3 chai teabags or 1 tablespoon loose leaf chai

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons ground chai seasoning

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or homemade vanilla

1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling dough

To start, refrigerate your cookies stamps; the colder they are, the easier the dough will release.

Empty the chai from teabags and grind using a spice grinder or mini chopper so no twiggy stems or large pieces of black tea remain.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, chai seasoning, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, dark brown sugar, and the finely ground chai tea. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add in the large egg and vanilla. Beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated. Increase to medium speed until a thick dough forms and the beaters clean the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes; remove from fridge to allow dough to warm up for 5 minutes before scooping and stamping.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cover your work surface with a silicone nonstick baking mat or large sheet of parchment paper.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (or #16 Cookie Scoop / 4 Tablespoon Scoop) to portion out dough and roll in a ball.

Place the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Roll a dough ball in the sugar and place on work surface. Press a chilled cookie stamp down onto the dough in a circular motion until excess dough squeezes out and is visible on all sides of the cookie stamp. Gently pry the edges of the dough from the stamp with your thumb on all sides until the cookie releases.

Trim away any excess dough away from the edges using a knife, if needed. Transfer stamped cookie to the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. You should get 14 cookies using every bit of the dough, so save the scraps and re-roll as you stamp.

Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly puffed and fragrant. Let cool on the pans until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container up to 5 days

If you need to upgrade your baking sheets, I highly recommend this set of Chicago Metallic Non-Stick Cookie and Jelly-Roll Pans  that come with a cooling rack.

  I use them for everything from baking cookies to roasting veggies, or cooking bacon. They have wire-rod reinforced rims to prevent warping and flexing in the oven.

Public Service Announcement:

Do yourself a favor and your make own Homemade Vanilla Extract!

It’s more affordable than store-bought and comes together in five minutes, ready to use or gift in two months, improving as it ages!

Embroidered Owl Pillow Cover (requires 20 x 20 inch insert)

Plaid Fringed Throw Blanket 50″ W x 67″ L

Brew a pot of chai, bake a batch of stamped cookies, and savor the magic of autumn—one sip and bite at a time!

🍁 🌰 🍂 🍪 ☕

 

You’re invited to join Pam and Kitty for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Kitty at Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen

🍁 🌰 🍂 🍪 ☕

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch