I grew up in New York state where snow days required massive dumpings of lake effect snow. I’m talking about measuring snow in feet, not inches. Now I live in Memphis where the threat of any wintry precipitation is enough to usher in a snow day, which is sometimes even announced the night before! It’s crazy, but it’s also kind of awesome.
A Friday in mid-January happened to be one of these wonderful occasions. I found out the night before and could rest easy, knowing I wouldn’t have to get up at 5:30 on Friday morning. WOO LONG WEEKEND!
You might be wondering-so what did you do on your snow day, Jenny? Well, there was maybe 1/2 an inch of snow, so I sure didn’t build a snowman. I was up by 8 AM, so I sure didn’t sleep in. WAIT-Don’t yell at me for not engaging in stereotypical snow day activities. I promise I did. I know how to do snow days right.
I spent my day BAKING. It was wonderful! I made banana bread, some kind of cupcakes I can’t even remember, and these cookies. These cookies!
Now, I’m not the girl who orders a chai latte every time she goes to Starbucks. It’s not like chai is my thing, but when it comes to flavor and spice, I AM SO THERE. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m a fan of Jessica’s, and that I often steal ideas made by her, tweak them a bit, and then post them. This is one of those. Let’s just call it “recycling ideas.” I did in fact stick to the recipe for the cookies, but I wanted to add a little something to make them a little more… Well, more.
Enter maple cream cheese frosting. I believe cream cheese frosting will improve just about anything you put it on, so I went for it, and added just a touch of maple syrup. Real maple syrup. Because I want the real stuff, not this Mrs. Butterworth’s crap. And because I could DRINK maple syrup. (Don’t worry-I don’t.)
So here you have them: buttery, spicy cookies all dressed up with a cloud of mapley, creamy frosting (If you want to take them to the next level, that is. You should.). They’re totally snow day worthy.
Here are the cookies post-baking!
Another sheet full of cookies!
Chai Snickerdoodles with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time:3h
- Cook Time:12m
- Total Time:3h 12m
- Yield: 50 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch cardamom
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Beat the butter, oil, and cream cheese until well combined. Add in sugar and beat until creamy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add spices, baking power and soda, and salt to the dough. Mix until combined.
- Add in flour, about a cup at a time, until a dough is formed.
- Roll the dough into balls (about 50ish if you\'re making small cookies) and refrigerate them for at least 2-3 hours.
- To prepare the topping, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of cardamom in a small bowl.
- Once the refrigeration period is complete, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough balls in the sugar & spice mixture, and then place them on a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for about 11-12 minutes, turning them at the halfway point. Allow to cool on a baking rack.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and light/airy (about 2 minutes). Add in powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth, fully combined, and fluffy. Frost cooled cookies. Enjoy!
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