One cookie that I like but not love is oatmeal raisin cookies. I just never thought raisins belonged in cookies. They’re a weird texture, and the taste is just not great. That’s why when I started making cookies, I opted to swap out raisins for craisins, and that honestly changed my opinion of these cookies. The tartness of craisins or cranberry raisins balances out the sweetness from the sugars. I thought it would be cool this year to create a version of these cookies with these soft and chewy chai spiced oatmeal craisin cookies. They honestly taste exactly like what a cookie should taste like during the holidays! And they’re easy!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- All purpose flour – The main dry ingredient in these chai spiced oatmeal craisin cookies.
- Baking soda – Baking soda helps create a soft, fluffy cookie.
- Salt – Salt helps balance out the sweetness from the sugars.
- Earl grey tea, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and star anise -This is my combination for chai that I use in all my chai flavored desserts like in my chai spiced rice krispie treats and chai spiced chocolate chip cookies. There are so many different ways you can make chai. A good chai consists of tea and spices. Some people only use tea and cardamom, and some even throw in cloves. (I didn’t use cloves). Use the spices you like and what is available to you.
- Unsalted butter – Adds a nutty flavor to these cookies. As mentioned in the tips below, browning this butter amplifies the nutty flavor of the butter.
- Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – These sugars add sweetness and moisture to these chai spiced oatmeal craisin cookies. They also give them their chewy texture. You can substitute light brown for dark brown sugar, but it will make the cookie chewier and sweeter.
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the cookies. Substitute with an equal amount of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean.
- Old fashioned oats – I would recommend you use whatever oats you have. I used old fashioned oats because that’s what I had. You can also use quick oats for this recipe.
- Cranberry raisins (Craisins) – I like using craisins or cranberry raisins for this recipe because I like how tart they are compared to regular raisins. You can definitely substitute craisins for raisins.
Making my chai spiced oatmeal raisin cookies
These cookies are honestly so easy to make! First, brown the butter. Heat butter over medium high heat until all the butter melts. Then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until brown bits start to appear at the bottom of the pan. Stir every so often, so the butter browns evenly. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. Next, combine flour, baking soda, powdered earl grey tea, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Mix and set aside. Use a spice grinder to break down the tea into powder. Combine browned butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined.
Add the eggs. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk the mixture until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or a stand mixer on low, combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Lastly, add the oats and cranberry raisins. Mix until just combined. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper. Using a medium sized cookie scoop (2 tbsp), scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are a golden brown color. Rest for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips on how to make the perfect chai spiced oatmeal raisin cookies
Ingredient Tips
- Use all room temperature ingredients – This really does matter because butter and eggs don’t like to mix together, especially when they’re at different temperatures, so having them at the same temperature helps them come together better.
- Why are you using brown butter? – This is one of the keys to the intense flavor of these cookies. The brown bits add so much extra flavor to the dough. Make sure to cool it down to room temperature before using because using hot butter will create for a greasy dough.
- Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe? – This is a common question I get asked. The short answer is yes, but it will change the texture of your cookies since that will also reduce the moisture in this cookies. The cookies will have a firmer texture instead of a chewier texture.
Method Tips
- Mix the butter, sugars, and egg thoroughly – The biggest mistake people make is not mixing the wet ingredients properly. When you mix the wet ingredients, especially the butter and sugar, you’re really trying to incorporate/dissolve the sugar.
- Don’t over mix the cookie dough after adding the dry ingredients – You want to mix the dry ingredients as little as possible because mixing encourages gluten formation which creates tough, chalky cookies.
- Why do I need to rest this dough? – Resting/cooling the cookie dough allows the butter to solidify, so it doesn’t melt so quickly in the oven. This matters because if it melts too quickly in the oven, your cookies will spread more, creating flatter cookies. In addition, allowing it to rest makes it more flavourful. The cookie dough is sort of like marinating while it’s cooling.
- Why is scooping your cookie dough with a scoop important? – This is important because the scoop helps give your cookies their round shape. To get the perfect round shape, scoop the dough, press it into the scoop with your hand, and then level it off so you get a flat bottom.
- Why is cooling your cookies important? – I know it is SO HARD to not eat a cookie right away, but your cookies are still baking when they’re on the baking sheet! The center will still look soft but it will slowly get firmer as it sits on the baking sheet.
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Chai Spiced Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp earl grey tea loose leaf
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground star anise
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup craisins cranberry raisins
Instructions
- First, brown the butter. Heat butter over medium high heat until all the butter melts. Then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until brown bits start to appear at the bottom of the pan. Stir every so often, so the butter browns evenly. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
- Next, combine flour, baking soda, powdered earl grey tea, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Mix and set aside. Use a spice grinder to break down the tea into powder.
- Combine browned butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined.
- Add the eggs. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk the mixture until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add the dry ingredients from step 2. Using a spatula or a stand mixer on low, combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.
- Lastly, add the oats and cranberry raisins. Mix until just combined.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop (2 tbsp), scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are a golden brown color.
- Rest for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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by Becca Du