This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Chocolate Chai Spice Cookies are tender chocolate cookies infused with cozy chai spice and filled with a melty dark chocolate center. They’re easy to make in under an hour, require no chilling, and are just the right size for holiday cookie boxes. A crisp chai sugar coating adds just the right amount of sparkle and crunch.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- All Purpose Flour: This recipe uses all purpose flour with 11% protein for the right balance of structure and softness.
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: Adds deep, rich chocolate flavor and reacts well with the baking powder for a smooth, balanced dough.
- Test Note: My preferred dutch chocolate cocoa powders to use are Cacao Barry Plein Arome and Valrhona Cocoa Powder.
- European-Style Butter (82% butterfat): Creates a richer flavor and softer crumb. The higher fat content helps the cookies stay tender while still holding their shape in the oven.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds moisture and chew, while granulated sugar helps the edges crisp and gives structure.
- Chai Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, and black pepper create a cozy, aromatic chai profile that pairs beautifully with the chocolate.
- Espresso Powder: A small amount intensifies the cocoa flavor without making the cookies taste like coffee.
- Test Note: I add a little instant espresso powder to all my chocolate recipes to give a little oomph to the overall chocolate flavor.
- 70% Dark Chocolate Bar: Placing dark chocolate in the center of each cookie creates a molten pocket that firms slightly once cooled, similar to a truffle like center.
- Test Note: I tested a few different chocolates and found the 70% Dark Chocolate Bar by Lindt to melt nicely. I use a single 5 gram tablet or chunk of chocolate for each cookie. Also try the dark chocolate wafers by Guittard or Valrhona.
- Chai Spice Sugar Coating:
A fragrant blend of sugar and spices that caramelizes lightly in the oven, enhancing the chai flavor and giving the cookies a sparkly finish.
How to Make Chai Spice Cookies
- Cream butter and sugar. Beat together the soft butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until lighter brown and a bit fluffy (3-4 minutes).
- Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add the egg and egg yolk, mixing until well combined. Followed by the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk together the dry flour, cocoa powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Mix half at a time with the butter mixture on low speed until just combined.
- Add the dark chocolate. Scoop or weigh the cookie dough into medium sized (35 grams) balls. Press a single chocolate tablet into the center of a cookie ball and shape the dough around it.
- Roll in chai sugar. Gently roll each chocolate filled cookie dough ball in the chai sugar to coat.
- Repeat with remaining dough to make 25 cookie dough balls.
- Bake. Place dough balls on lined baking sheets and bake for 11-12 minutes until puffed in the center and cracked on the edges. Careful not to over bake.
Jenn’s Tips!
- Measure & Sift: Weigh the flour and cocoa powder to prevent adding extra that will dry out the cookies. Sift both for a smooth cookie dough.
- Weigh each dough ball: Use a medium cookie scoop or weigh out 35 grams of dough so the cookies bake evenly and the chocolate center sits in the middle of each one.
- Use consistent chocolate tablets/wafers: Weigh chunks or individual tables of chocolate to be 5 grams each. Or use the same size wafers so every cookie has the same chocolate center.
- For a molten texture the next day, microwave a cooled cookie for 6–8 seconds to re-melt the chocolate center.
Leftovers & Storage
Room Temp: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week of freshness.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Chocolate Chai Spice Cookies
Chocolate Chai Spice Cookies are tender chocolate cookies infused with cozy chai spice and filled with a melty dark chocolate center. They’re easy to make and require no chilling time. A crisp chai sugar coating adds just the right amount of sparkle and crunch.
Click for Ingredient Details
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Chocolate Chai Cookie Dough
- 275 grams (2 ¼ cups ) all purpose flour, 11% protein
- 50 grams (½ cup) dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 227 grams (1 cup) unsalted European-style butter, 82% butterfat, softened
- 220 grams (1 cup) dark brown sugar
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 50 grams (1 large) egg, room temperature
- 20 grams (1 large) egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Dark Chocolate Filling
- 250 grams (1 ¼ cups) 70% dark chocolate baking bar tablets or wafers,
Sugar Chai Coating
- 67 grams (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Hand whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.275 grams all purpose flour, 50 grams dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- Place softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl with handheld mixer. Cream together on medium high speed until lighter in color and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.227 grams unsalted European-style butter, 220 grams dark brown sugar, 100 grams granulated sugar
- On medium speed, mix in the egg followed by the egg yolk and vanilla until well blended.50 grams egg, 20 grams egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- Mix in half the dry mixture at a time to firm a thick cookie dough.
Shape & Bake
- Stir the chai sugar ingredients together in a medium shallow bowl.67 grams granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- Using a medium cookie scoop or spoon measure out the cookie dough into 35 grams balls. Take a 5 gram tablet of dark chocolate and press into the center of each cookie dough ball. Carefully shape the cookie dough around the chocolate to form a ball with the chocolate completely sealed in the middle.250 grams 70% dark chocolate baking bar tablets or wafers
- Roll each cookie ball in the chai sugar to coat.
- Arrange the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. I bake 5-6 cookies at a time.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 11-12 minutes. The centers will look puffed and there will be cracks around the edges.
- Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring directly onto a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy cookies warm while the center chocolate is still melted. The chocolate center will firm as it cools, just like in chocolate chip cookies. Warm a cookie for 6-8 seconds in the microwave to re-melt the centers if you like before eating.
Notes
- Ingredients Used
- Flour: Gold Medal All Purpose 10.5-11% protein
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: Cacao Barry Plein Arome
- Butter: President Unsalted Butter, 82% butterfat
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.
Tried this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
Hi Abby! You can give it a try, but the texture and shape will be altered since regular flour contains gluten. They will probably spread and be larger cookies 🙂 Let me know!
Hi Christina! Almond flour can be substituted with 1/3 cup Coconut Flour.
These are seriously some of the best cookies I have eaten. They are dangerously good-I could eat A LOT of them!
me too!! they are so addicting:)
Hi, thanks for lovely recipi! Can I ask what “all grund allspice” is. I’a trying to find something simulat in Sweden.
Br
Maria