How To Make Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies For A Midnights Snack

The clock is officially counting down to Taylor Swift’s 10th album Midnights to drop on Oct. 21, and anticipation is at an all-time high. After so many surprises, easter eggs, and theories leading up to the album, it’s best to trust that this will not be a night to sleep through – Midnights, naturally, calls for an all-nighter. If you need some “sweet nothings” to help you stay awake, an old cookie recipe Taylor once posted online is now going viral on TikTok. Here’s how to make Taylor Swift’s chai cookies for your Swiftie-themed sleepover

ICYMI, Swifties on TikTok recently unearthed an old Tumblr post where Swift posted the treats on Instagram then dropped a very special cookie recipe in response to a fan begging for the formula. It’s not every day you catch the singer’s attention, especially since she’s so private and only occasionally makes appearances on social media. But, Taylor being Taylor, briefly resurfaced just to drop a long and detailed recipe for her favorite chai cookies, signing off the post with “Cause the bakers gonna bake bake bake bake bake.” Now that TikTok’s eating these cookies up again, you can watch Swifties bake along to Red (Taylor’s Version) and get in the spirit of the season — Taylor release season, that is. In just a few days, you can show off your confectionary creation along with her cozy new tracks, like “Maroon” or “Midnight Rain.” You can even put your own twist on the recipe and caption your video “(Your Name)’s Version.” Here’s the official recipe, penned by the fall queen herself.

How To Make Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies

“MMMKAY — there are two ways you can go about this,” Swift began her original Tumblr post. The first recipe variation is super easy for whipping up when you’re dreaming of something sweet but are too drained to start from scratch. She says you can simply use store-bought sugar cookie mix and pour a packet of chai tea into the batter before you bake. “Pow. Done.” The second way to make the chai sugar cookies is based on a vanilla sugar cookie recipe posted by Joy The Baker from The Pastry Queen cookbook, which Swift modified with special touches to make the dessert more festive. She actually served these treats back in the fall of 2014 at “Secret Sessions” (private listening parties for select Swifties) for the 1989 album, so you know these cookies are tried and true treats for Swiftie-themed parties. For Taylor’s version (pun intended), she wrote, “I added the chai element to the recipe because I thought it would infuse cozy holiday vibez into the cookie and it really did.”

Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookies Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (or one stick) of butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod
• 1 packet of crushed up chai tea leaves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

How To Make The Cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl for about one minute. Next, incorporate the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla, on medium speed.
3. Empty the packet of crushed chai leaves into the batter and mix until evenly combined.
4. On a slow speed or using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt, to complete the soft cookie dough.
5. Chill the dough in the fridge for one hour or 15 minutes in the freezer so it’s easier to roll out and form cookies.
6. Using one to two tablespoon measurements, drop balls of the dough onto the baking sheet and press them down to form thick cookies.
7. Sprinkle some granulates sugar on top of the cookies for a caramelized crust.
8. Bake in the oven for 8-14 minutes, depending on the thickness, and let cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.

Eggnog Icing Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 3 tablespoons of milk or eggnog

How To Make Eggnog Icing And Complete The Cookies:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients until a smooth icing forms. The more milk or eggnog added, the more runny the glaze will be (“But glazes are legit too so basically just LIVE YOUR LIFE,” Taylor wrote).
2. “If you’re really feeling like living on the edge, you can go ahead and add a few drops of food coloring to the icing to make it festive,” Swift wrote in the post. “No one is going to stop you.”
3. Using a spoon, spread the icing on each of the chai cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy.

These cookies are perfect for enjoying all the way through the holiday season, with warm spices and sweet creamy icing that’ll surely be a crowd favorite even outside of sacred Swiftie circles. But if you’re throwing a Midnights release party with your friends, or staying home alone to pace your halls while carefully listening to Swift’s haunting lyrics, you need to bake up these treats in case you need some sweet relief from all the excitement. Cookies are a classic midnight snack, after all.