Chai Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOK TIME: 12 min| YIELD: 12 cookies
Scrumptious Moment
I baked Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for my boyfriend’s dad to enjoy during his birthday weekend. Since oatmeal raisin is his favorite, I wanted to give them a special twist. Knowing he also loves Chai tea lattes from Starbucks, I thought a touch of chai spice would make the cookies extra meaningful and delicious.
CHAI SPICED OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
If an oatmeal raisin cookie and a chai latte had a baby, this would be it. These chai spiced oatmeal raisin cookies take a classic favorite and give it a cozy upgrade. Browning the butter adds a nutty, caramel like richness that blends beautifully with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. The oats and raisins bring that familiar chewy texture we all love, while the brown sugar and vanilla add just the right touch of sweetness.
The cookies bake up soft and chewy in the center with golden, slightly crisp edges. Slamming the pan creates those irresistible ripples on top, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt makes the flavors pop.
HISTORY OF OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Oatmeal raisin cookies have a history as comforting as the cookies themselves. They trace their roots back to the late 1800s, when oats started making their way into American kitchens and bakers began transforming hearty Scottish style oatcakes into something sweeter. By the early 1900s, recipes for oatmeal cookies were appearing in cookbooks, and it wasn’t long before raisins were added to the mix, thanks to the growing raisin industry encouraging home bakers to stir in a little natural sweetness.
By the 1920s, the oatmeal raisin cookie had become a beloved classic, often praised as a “wholesome” treat because of its hearty oats and fruit. Generations later, these cookies are still a nostalgic favorite, chewy, cozy, and tied to so many family traditions. They’ve held their place as the cookie that feels just a little bit like home.
WHAT IS CHAI SPICE?
Chai spice is one of those blends that just feels cozy the moment you smell it. It’s the mix of spices you’d find in a cup of masala chai, a spiced tea from India. Usually it’s made with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and a little black pepper, though some versions sneak in nutmeg or star anise too. Together, they create that warm, slightly sweet, and lightly spiced flavor that makes chai so comforting.
Ingredients
3/4 cup salted butter, browned and cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
sprinkle of maldon's sea salt
Instructions
Melt your butter in the microwave or in a small pot over the stove. If you want an extra nutty flavor, you can brown your butter on stovetop on medium to medium low. Stir every 30 seconds - it will start out foamy and slowly the bubbles will get smaller, and the butter will emit a nutty flavor and start to turn light brown or caramel in color. Once it begins doing this, take off the heat as it will continue to brown on its own. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine your browned/melted butter and the two sugars using a whisk until well incorporated. Add the egg & egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat well to mix sure the egg has completely dispersed.
In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. Then slowly begin to add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, pouring about 1/4 at a time. I recommend switching over from the whisk to a spatula.
Pour in the rolled oats and the raisins and combine
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill in fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can store these in the freezer for about 3 months for later use.
While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Once the cookies have chilled, take a 1–2-inch cookie scoop or a large spoon (depending on how big of cookies you want), roll the dough into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches from one another (standard cookie sheet will likely fit 6 cookies so you may need to repeat or use two sheets).
Bake for 10 minutes, then take the pan out and gently slam it on the counter to create the wrinkly look on the top of the cookies. Then place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown on the sides and the center is only slightly gooey.
As soon as you take then out of the oven, sprinkle the flaky sea salt. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inhaling these. Enjoy!
Chai Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt your butter in the microwave or in a small pot over the stove. If you want an extra nutty flavor, you can brown your butter on stovetop on medium to medium low. Stir every 30 seconds - it will start out foamy and slowly the bubbles will get smaller, and the butter will emit a nutty flavor and start to turn light brown or caramel in color. Once it begins doing this, take off the heat as it will continue to brown on its own. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your browned/melted butter and the two sugars using a whisk until well incorporated. Add the egg & egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat well to mix sure the egg has completely dispersed.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. Then slowly begin to add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, pouring about 1/4 at a time. I recommend switching over from the whisk to a spatula.
- Pour in the rolled oats and the raisins and combine
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill in fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can store these in the freezer for about 3 months for later use.
- While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Once the cookies have chilled, take a 1–2-inch cookie scoop or a large spoon (depending on how big of cookies you want), roll the dough into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches from one another (standard cookie sheet will likely fit 6 cookies so you may need to repeat or use two sheets).
- Bake for 10 minutes, then take the pan out and gently slam it on the counter to create the wrinkly look on the top of the cookies. Then place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown on the sides and the center is only slightly gooey.
- As soon as you take then out of the oven, sprinkle the flaky sea salt. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inhaling these. Enjoy!