Chai Sugar Cookie Bars
These chai sugar cookie bars are SO soft and chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, topped with a dreamy maple, cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sugar. The best part is there is no chilling, rolling, scooping or cutting, just easy, simple and delicious chewy, chai sugar cookie bars.

What is Chai?
Chai translates to tea and in this case more specifically black tea. Originating in India, chai or masala chai is black tea, brewed with water, milk and spices.
What is chai spice made of?
The spices in chai are cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom. They can vary in the type of spices and the quantity of each spice, the goal is to create a harmonious spice mix that works well with the bold flavour of the black tea.

Ingredient Notes
The ingredients that go into these delightful Chai Sugar Cookie Bars
Plain Flour – provides the perfect base for these soft & chewy chai sugar cookie bars
Baking Powder – adds so much lightness and height to the sugar cookie bars
Eggs – binds the bars together and adds more fat
Melted Butter – provides moisture and fat, while also making sure the cookies stay soft
Caster Sugar – of course! To sweeten the cookie bars
Light Brown Sugar – will make the cookie bars chewy and add a gingerbread flavour
Clementine Zest – gives the sugar cookie bars, so much flavour and freshness
Ground Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cardamom & Nutmeg – is the chai spice mix for these sugar cookie bars
Salt – balances everything out and enhances all of the flavours
Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract – adds so much flavour, depth and that classic vanilla smell – I prefer paste as it adds little flecks of vanilla seeds to the cookie bars, which are just gorgeous
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Cream Cheese – is the base for the frosting
Butter – will make the frosting thicker and slightly creamier
Icing Sugar – is the base for this frosting and provides so much sweetness
Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract – for a ton of vanilla flavour
Maple Syrup – makes the frosting delicious and sweet

Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookies Recipe:
These chai sugar cookie bars are inspired by Taylor Swift’s famous chai sugar cookie recipe and a classic gingerbread cookie. I wanted to combine the two and create spiced, cookie bars that pack a ton of flavour and are super easy to make! I absolutely love Taylor and am a huge fan of her recipe, which is actually an adaptation of a recipe from the amazing joyofbaking.com. RECIPE HERE

How to make Chai Sugar Cookie Bars – step by step
- Preheat an oven to 180 celsius / 355 fahrenheit / gas mark 4.
- In a large bowl, add in the sugars, spices, salt and clementine zest and rub together with the pads of your fingers.
- Then, add in the melted butter and mix well.
- Next, crack in the eggs and combine.
- Now, fold in the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Evenly spread the sugar cookie dough into a lined 9×9 inch square baking pan.
- Bake for 22 – 25 minutes or until the chai cookie bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
- Now, for the frosting. In a large bowl whip together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
- Then, add in the maple and vanilla and mix well.
- Finally, add in the icing sugar in three parts, whipping the frosting each time, until you have a light, fluffy frosting that isn’t too thick.
- To make the cinnamon sugar, simply mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
- Top the chai sugar cookie bars with the maple frosting and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and cut into 9 large bars or 16 small ones, serve and enjoy!

How to make Sugar Cookie Bars Chewy?
The trick that makes these sugar cookie bars soft and chewy for days, is under baking them, like a lot! They may even feel cakey when you take them out of the oven, but as they cool off they become crisp on the outside and stay chewy in the middle.

How to store Chai Sugar Cookie Bars?
Store these delicious chewy chai sugar cookie bars in an airtight container or tin, once the frosting has fully set, store at room temperature and they should last for about a week!

Tips and Tricks – Chai Sugar Cookie Bars
- Use a chopstick – to test when the chai sugar cookie bars are done
- Store the chai sugar cookie bars – in a airtight container or tin, once the frosting has fully set and store at room temperature, they should last for about a week
- Line the baking pan – with parchment paper and you can use metal binder clips on the sides, for a clean look and easy removal
- If you don’t like the spices used – use any chai spice mix you’d like
- To cut the cookie bars – use a sharp knife for a clean and professional look
- For more chai flavour – you could add the contents of your favourite tea bag to the cookie dough
The recipe video is on my Tik Tok and IG – please tag @aceofspoons_ if you make this recipe


Chai Sugar Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9×9 inch square baking pan
- small palette knife
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 125 g butter (melted) 1/2 cup
- 200 g caster sugar 1 cup
- 100 g light brown sugar 1/2 cup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 2 eggs
- zest of 2 clementine
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 3 cardamom pods – seeds crushed (remove the green outer pods)
- 1/8 tsp black
- 240 g plain flour 2 cups
Maple & Cream Cheese Frosting
- 110 g cream cheese 1/4 cup
- 50 g softened butter 3.5 tbsp
- 50 ml maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 130 g icing sugar 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180 celsius / 355 fahrenheit / gas mark 4.
- In a large bowl, add in the sugars, spices, salt and clementine zest and rub together with the pads of your fingers.
- Then, add in the melted butter and mix well.
- Next, crack in the eggs and combine.
- Now, fold in the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Evenly spread the sugar cookie dough into a lined 9×9 inch square baking pan.
- Bake for 22 – 25 minutes or until the chai cookie bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
- Now for the frosting. In a large bowl whip together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
- Then, add in the maple and vanilla and mix well.
- Finally, add in the icing sugar in three parts, whipping the frosting each time, until you have a light, fluffy frosting that isn’t too thick.
- To make the cinnamon sugar, simply mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
- Top the chai sugar cookie bars with the maple frosting and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and cut into 9 large bars or 16 small ones, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a chopstick – to test when the chai sugar cookie bars are done
- Store the chai sugar cookie bars – in a airtight container or tin, once the frosting has fully set and store at room temperature, they should last for about a week
- Line the baking pan – with parchment paper and you can use metal binder clips on the sides, for a clean look and easy removal
- If you don’t like the spices used – use any chai spice mix you’d like
- To cut the chai sugar cookie bars – use a sharp knife for a clean and professional look
- For more chai flavour – you could add the contents of your favourite tea bag to the cookie dough