This post is sponsored by Sante Nuts. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Browned Butter Blondie possible.
I’m on the Christmas cookie train and I’m never getting off. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how much fun it is to slide into a pair of fuzzy slippers, crank up the holiday tunes and bake batch after batch of golden brown goodies. My kitchen smells like a fancy French bakery and I’ve covered just about every horizontal surface with sugar-topped snowflakes. I’ve been decorating cookies at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. It was a tradition my baker momma introduced long ago when I was barely old enough to lick the frosting bowl. There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit if you ask me and it’s definitely the most delightful way to spend a Sunday. No holiday season is complete without a flour covered day in the kitchen after which you look around and think “holy cow, who is going to clean this up??”. I’ll skip the crazy mall crowds and weekend traffic jams, thank you very much. You can find me riiiight over here in my cozy, never-been-messier kitchen frosting and sprinkling away like there’s no tomorrow.
In the spirit of the holiday season I’ve partnered with my friends at Sante Nuts to bring you a rich and buttery sugar cookie recipe that is sure to be the talk of your next cookie swap. Chai Spice Pecan Sugar Cookies are literally like a warm hug by the fire. Perfect for pairing with a cup of hot cocoa or a warm mug of mulled cider. The chai spices combine into the most delectable, melt-in-your-mouth flavor that is a subtle twist on the traditional sugar cookie. And the sweet and sugar kissed pecans from Sante Nuts make these cookie cutouts a simply scrumptious treat that you’ll want to make again and again all season long. Trust me when I say that these candied pecans are something special and deliciously addictive.
Pro tip: buy two bags. One for the cookies and one for snacking while you bake the cookies. You’ll be glad you did. If you can manage to get the nuts into your cookies before you eat them all, these sparkling snowflakes will spread sleigh-fulls of good cheer and your friends and family will really think it’s the most wonderful time of the year when you arrive with a tray of these holiday classics in hand.
Chai Spice Pecan Sugar Cookies may look like a bit of fancy, but trust me when I say that if I can make these cookies, you can too! It’s no secret that I’m no cake decorator extraordinaire {hello lazy girl sheet cakes} but these cookies are very approachable and come with a guarantee for tons of fun in the kitchen. The sugar cookie recipe itself is fool proof and with only a handful of simple ingredients the dough comes together in no time. Simply combine all the ingredients in your stand mixer and once incorporated you’ll roll the dough out, chill it and then use a cookie cutter to cut the shapes. A few minutes in the oven and you’ll have golden brown goodies by the dozen. Don’t let the royal icing fool you either, it’s deceptively easy to make and I’ve got some tips below to help you channel your inner Martha Stewart.
Before we dive into frosting tips and tricks, let’s talk dough. For these sugar cookies you’ll need just a few pantry staples along with five classic spices to create the chai spice blend. You’ll cream your butter and sugar together until smooth, add the egg and vanilla and then combine the dry ingredients. Then you’ll gently fold in the chopped candied pecans. Dividing the dough into two equal parts, roll the soft dough out until about 1/4 inch thick and then place the dough in the refrigerator to chill. Pro tip #2…it’s much easier to roll the dough when soft rather than trying to roll it after it’s been chilled. So roll, then chill, then cut it. Works like a charm every time.
You can cut the dough into any shape your cookie heart desires. I’m pretty smitten with these snowflakes but you could cut trees, stars, candy canes or ornaments….or try a combination of multiple shapes for a fun and festive cookie platter. Once your cookies have cooled completely you can put on your creative cap and get decorating! I used royal icing to frost my Chai Spice Pecan Sugar Cookies. I’m a bit new to royal icing and let me just say it’s more forgiving than you might think. The trick is to get the consistency just right. Once you mix your confectioner’s sugar with the meringue powder and water, you can add water or more sugar depending on the thickness of the icing. Too thick, add more water. Too thin, add more sugar. Keep at it until the icing smooths out within ten seconds once it drizzles down from the whisk attachment of your mixer. Add the royal icing to piping bags or bottles and you’re ready to make some fancy-shmancy cookies. I’ve dusted these snowflakes with sparkling sugar and adorned a few with glittery gold sprinkles. The sky is the limit here so go wild. ‘Tis the season!
Baking a batch or two {or three, like me} of these Chai Spice Pecan Sugar Cookies should put lots of merry in your Christmas. I can’t wait to see your cookie creations so be sure to tag @brownedbutterblondie so I can see what you are baking up in your kitchen. I’ll meet you back here next week with a decadent chocolate dessert that is sure to put the merry in your Christmas Eve. Until then, happy baking bakers!
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ cardamom
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup chopped candied pecans (I use candied pecans from Sante Nuts)
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 3 TBSP meringue powder
- 8-10 TBSP water, room temperature
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and chai spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on high speed for 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat for 60 seconds on high.
- Add the dry ingredients in two batches and mix on low until combined. Do not over mix.
- Remove from mixer and fold in chopped pecans.
- Remove dough onto lightly floured surface and divide into two equal parts.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough halves into ¼ inch thick rectangular shapes.
- Place the rolled dough on parchment lined cookie sheets and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and cut into desired shapes.
- Gather the remaining dough into a ball and re-roll into ¼ inch thick rectangle and cut more shapes.
- Repeat until dough is all used.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
- Cookie will be lightly golden brown on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Place the confectioner's sugar, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment.
- Place mixer on low until confectioner's sugar is incorporated.
- Turn mixer up to high for 5-6 minutes.
- Add more water if too thick or more confectioner's sugar if too thin.
- Icing should fall from the whisk attachment onto the icing below in the bowl and smooth out in less than 10 seconds.
- Continue adding water or sugar until desired consistency is reached.
- Place icing in piping bags or bottles for decorating cookies.
- Once cookie are cool, using piping bags to decorate cookies as desired.
- Using a small icing tip such Wilton #5, outline and flood the cookie with icing.
- For more detail work, use a smaller tip such as Wilton #1.
- Sprinkle with sanding sugars or decorate with sprinkles.
- Set cookies aside to set or place in refrigerator to set faster.
Cookies will keep at room temperature or in refrigerator for up to one week. For best results, do not freeze decorated cookies. Undecorated cookies or cookie dough may be frozen until ready to use.
