The Story
They say bad things come in threes, and after the last couple of weeks, I can confidently say that’s true. It all started on Halloween. I was driving to meet some friends when, out of nowhere, another car sideswiped me. Happy Halloween, right? It wasn’t a huge accident—more annoying than anything—but still, not exactly the kind of treat I was hoping for that day.
I thought that was the end of my bad luck. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. The following Friday, I managed to rack up not one but two parking tickets. To be fair, one of them was probably my fault, but the other one? That was absolutely a misunderstanding. (I’m sticking to that story, even if the parking officer would disagree.)
And just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Monday rolled around and, well… I crashed my car. Full-on, no-denying-it, I-hit-something crash. At that point, I had to laugh because really, what else could I do? Within 10 days, I’d been sideswiped, ticketed, and officially taken my car out of commission. It felt like the universe was trying to send me a message—though what that message was, I still have no idea.
After the third incident, I decided I needed to slow down. Literally and figuratively. I couldn’t fix my car right away, but I could take a break, stay home, and bake something to distract myself from my newfound title of “unluckiest driver ever.” That’s how I ended up making these chai spice snickerdoodles. They’re warm, comforting, and full of those cozy fall flavors that make everything feel just a little bit better.
So, while I can’t undo my chaotic 10 days, I can offer you this recipe—and maybe a reminder to double-check your parking and, y’know, watch out for other cars.
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions:
Preheat the Oven:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Mix the Dry Ingredients:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.Cream the Butter and Sugar:
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing until smooth.Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients:
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.Make the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with an additional 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.Shape and Coat the Cookies:
Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.Bake:
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips:
- For extra chai flavor, you can add a pinch of black pepper to the dough—it sounds strange but brings out the spices beautifully.
- These cookies freeze well, so you can save a batch for when you need a pick-me-up after a rough day.
- Pair them with a warm cup of chai tea for the ultimate cozy vibe.
Enjoy,
Lauren