Chai Kissed Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

I love a good gingerbread cookie...and...I love a good cup of spicy chai tea.  So naturally I LOVE these Chai Kissed Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies!




They have actual Chai tea in them...which gives them a nice bit of heat. The idea to marry Chai tea with gingerbread came to me after making these muffins...Chai Banana Muffins...a few months ago.  I thought it was genius to use the actual tea bag contents in the muffins, and it gave them the best flavor, so I wanted to experiment with gingerbread cookies and the tea.  I used Tazo Chai tea bags.

For the filling, I did cheat and buy premade icing from the bakery department of my grocers for the filling.  Did you know you can often buy just the icing?  Check with your favorite bakery.  I don't like, and refuse to use, canned icing but many bakeries make excellent icing that is good enough to call your own.  I am fortunate to have a grocer with an excellent in-store bakery with icing that is awesome!  It's a great shortcut!... And the only thing I love more than gingerbread and Chai tea, is savvy shortcuts! Of course, you could also make your own butter cream icing for the filling as well. 

The gingerbread cookie portion of the recipe comes from a popular post in the archives called Ultimate Ginger Pecan Cookies.  For this recipe, I omitted the pecans.  I also used light brown sugar in the original recipe, but opted for dark brown sugar in these, hence the darker color.  But either light or dark brown sugar will work just fine.  I also omitted the crystallized ginger in the dough, to give the cookies a more uniform look.  Of course, I added Chai tea! 

This is an indulgent recipe and I am once again, not providing nutrition information.  Enjoy in moderation when you give these cookies a try for a whole new twist on classic gingerbread cookies!

Chai Kissed Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Printable Recipe

Yield:  approx 2 doz sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 Chai tea bags, opened

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup unsulfured molasses

1 large egg

granulated sugar, for dipping

approx. 2 cups of your favorite prepared buttercream icing 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment, spraying with cooking spray or using a silpat liner.  
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and contents of 2 Chai tea bags.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar, oil, and molasses for 5 minutes on med speed.  Turn the mixer to low, and add the egg.  Beat for an additional 1 minute.  Scrape the bowl down, and beat another minute.  With mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Mix on med speed for 2 minutes.  ( if mixture seems dry at this point, add a few tsp. of water just until it clumps together...sometimes I need to do this, sometimes I don't)  
4. Scoop out about 1 TBS of dough and roll into ball.  Place on prepared cookie sheet and with a glass dipped in granulated sugar, flatten ball to about 1/4" thickness. (spray bottom of glass lightly with cooking spray to get the sugar to stick)   Repeat with remainder of dough. 
5. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.  
6. When cookies are completely cool, add about a TBS of icing to the bottom side of one cookie and top with another cookie bottom.  Repeat until all cookies are used.  
7. Store in airtight container.  

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This is another winning cookie recipe.  My boys both gave these cookies a thumbs up!  Make sure you store them in an airtight container to avoid them from getting hard.  They are best when they are a bit chewy.  

I've just scratched the surface of my cookie/sweet treat making this year so far!  I did make an awesome recipe I found on Allrecipes last week for peanut brittle!  It was so easy to make!  You can find the recipe for it HERE!  One word though, if you make it, and you have raw peanuts, follow the directions as written, but if you are using roasted peanuts, add them after the candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees F to avoid "burning" them.  

Here is a great variation on the classic brittle recipe...Beer Brittle!  Make the recipe in the above link, but sub out the water for your favorite beer!  The men will love this variation!  (and so will a few ladies!)

Have you ever made peanut brittle?  I'm not a fan of the candy, but my husband loves it!

and don't forget...for more holiday cookie recipes and ideas...check out my "C" is for Cookie Pinterest Board!!