Chai Spice Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white or golden whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Chai Spice Blend, divided use
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• 1/3 cup sanding sugar

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside (you’ll bake the cookies in 3 batches; if you have that many cookie sheets, prep them all).

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons chai spice, and the cinnamon.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and sugar-spice mixture and beat on low until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, stopping to scrape up any of the butter that may be on the bottom of the bowl.

Step 4

In a small bowl, whisk the sanding sugar with the last tablespoon of chai spice. Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to make a dough ball and drop it into the sugar-chai mix. Roll it around to coat, then place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 6 balls, spaced 4 inches apart—they will spread considerably as they bake. Bake one cookie sheet at a time in the center of your oven for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through; the cookies will puff, then flatten as they cool. Repeat with the next batch. As that batch bakes, use a large spatula to transfer the first batch of cookies to racks to cool. Repeat with the final batch.