Gooey Orange Chai Latte Cookies

These Orange Chai Latte cookies are the warm, fall cookies you’ve been waiting for. They are filled with warm spices, tangy candied orange slices, and gooey dark chocolate. Read all about how I developed these cookies in the blog post below and get some cool tips on how to get the most consistent results every time!

A few months ago, I went to Carmel for a friend’s wedding. We stayed at this little inn near downtown Monterey. The morning of the wedding, I was really craving a pastry, so I Googled one nearby. 30 minutes later, I was queued up in this massive line around the block from Alta Bakery. I was floored that a bakery in this quiet little town could have such a long line! When I finally got to the front, I ordered multiple pastries and a Chai latte with orange cardamom syrup. The pastries were obviously great but my biggest surprise was the Chai latte. I’ve had a lot of Chai lattes, and they all pretty much taste the same but this one was different. It was that orange cardamom syrup! Orange + chai spices was a match made in heaven, so I knew I had to turn that into a cookie. So here is my recipe for the most fall-tastic cookie – my Orange Chai Latte cookies!

How I developed these Orange Chai Latte cookies

In full transparency, I have made a Chai spiced chocolate chip cookie before, so I thought the development of this cookie recipe would be easy. At first, I thought I would incorporate the orange flavor by swirling orange marmalade throughout the cookie before baking. I did 2-3 tests using this method, but each time, the cookie ended up spreading A LOT no matter how much flour I put in. That’s when I knew I just needed a drier ingredient. The liquid content of the marmalade would mess up the structure of my cookie! That’s when I tried it with candied oranges. I added candied oranges to my next batch and the cookies were PERFECT. Not only did they spread the appropriate amount, but the candied oranges added a nice tart flavor and a chewy texture to the cookies.

Some deets about key ingredients

• Candied oranges – This is the key to this recipe! As mentioned, candied oranges provide the orange flavor to the cookies without altering the overall structure of the cookie. I tested this with orange marmalade and it did not work!
• Orange Zest – This also helps add the orange flavor, but in a more subtle way. I used the zest of 1 large orange for my recipe (~1 tbsp). In recipe development, I tested this with 2 tsp and 1 tbsp and found that the cookie tasted better with 1 tbsp because the orange flavor is more pronounced. However, feel free to use less orange zest. If using more orange zest, add 1 tbsp more of flour for every 1 tbsp of orange zest used. Orange zest contains some liquid, so the cookie will spread more, the more you add.

Making these Orange Chai Latte Cookies (with tips!)

1. First, brown the butter. Heat 1/2 cup of unsalted butter over medium high heat until completely melted. Lower to medium low and cook until brown bits start to appear. Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl.
   • Tip #1: The butter will continue to brown as it sits.
2. Using a spice grinder or food processor, break down 1 tbsp of earl grey tea into powder. Add to a separate mixing bowl.
3. To the mixing bowl with the earl grey tea, add 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp of ground star anise, 1 cup + 2 tbsp of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix well and set aside.
   • Tip #2: The best way to measure flour is to scoop it into a measuring cup then leveling it off. Scooping flour with your measuring cup will compact the flour, causing you to use more than you need to.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl. Add 1 tbsp of orange zest and rub the sugar into the orange zest until the sugar turns light orange. Pour the sugar into the mixing bowl with the browned butter.
   • Tip #3: You’re essentially rubbing the oils from the orange peel into the sugar. Just squeeze the sugar and orange zest between your fingers.
5. Follow the granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of light brown sugar. Mix until well combined.
6. Add 1 egg and 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until well combined.
   • Tip #4: I like to mix it until it has a light brown color. This ensures your sugars, egg, and butter are fully mixed together.
7. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients from step 3. Mix until just combined.
   • Tip #5: Be careful not to over mix the dry ingredients. This will cause gluten formation, making your cookies tough.
8. Finally, add 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of candied oranges and mix.
9. Let the cookie dough cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
11. Using a #20 cookie scoop (~3 tbsp), scoop the cookies onto the prepped baking sheet. Make sure they are 2 inches apart.
    • Tip #6: Make sure to level off the cookie dough when it is in the cookie scoop. This helps you achieve consistent shaped cookies.
12. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
    • Tip #7: I always like to make the cookies more round by using a round cookie cutter to shape the cookie. Place it around the cookie and move in a circular motion to get that perfect round shape.

Did you make these cookies?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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