Chai tea had a moment this year, and if you haven’t tried a chai latte yet, run out and buy one! Do you know who has been at the forefront of this trend lately? Hint: It’s another celebrity who has practically broken the Internet this year… Taylor Swift. Taylor took chai lattes one super festive step further and shared her chai sugar cookie recipe just in time for the holiday season, and we couldn’t be more excited!
In this post, you’ll discover how chai tea can be a superstar food with many health benefits, plus the research behind it (which we love)! You may know ginger best for its against nausea properties that are great when you’re feeling a little dizzy.
Powerful properties of Taylor Swift Chai cookie
Ginger
Ginger can not only soothe an upset stomach, but it can also help with digestion. It works as a prokinetic, meaning it helps the gastrointestinal muscles contract to help move things (this process is known as peristalsis). Thanks to this, it can even relieve constipation.
Digestion aside, ginger has an overall effect anti-inflammatory Effect that benefits your entire body.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is truly one of my favorite spices, I put it in everything from my coffee to chia seed pudding and more. Word on the street is that cinnamon can help maintain blood sugar levels. But the truth is that the research is contradictory. TO review When looking at the effect of cinnamon and its impact on glucose among people with type 2 diabetes, it was found that cinnamon improved blood sugar laboratory values, suggesting that it is beneficial in maintaining blood sugar level. However, some other studies did not find that cinnamon had a significant impact on blood sugar control. The research is still evolving, so sprinkle carefully as you wish.
Black Tea
Black tea is the base of chai tea and has many health benefits that you will love. First and most importantly, it has caffeine, but not too much to make you jittery. Eight ounces of black tea have 47 mg of caffeine (compared to 91 mg in a cup of coffee). Not to mention it has one of our favorite nutrients, L-theaninean amino acid that causes sensations of calm increasing the brain serotonin and dopamine (your feel-good chemicals) and GABA levels (a chemical messenger in the brain that is known to produce a calming effect).
If that weren’t enough, some studies have shown that black tea may have heart-healthy benefits, such as reducing cholesteroll levels and risk of stroke thanks to its high polyphenol content.
Your Guide to Buying Chai Tea
There are many different types of chai tea, and the most popular type in the United States is most like Masala chai, which is typically made with the above spices, black tea, steamed milk, and a sweetener.
Chai tea can be found in many grocery stores and is sold in tea bags or you can also purchase it as a concentrate. Some of the most popular dietitian-approved brands include:
As an RD, I like these brands because the ingredients are simple and stick to black tea and spices with few added flavors, sweeteners, and fillers. Please note that some chai blends contain nuts, so if you have an allergy, be sure to read the label.
If you prefer to buy your chai milk tea at your local coffee shop, then I’ve got you covered. It’s best to order a chai latte with regular or low-fat milk to get some protein and fat to help maintain your blood sugar level. If you don’t have dairy, I recommend ordering it with almond milk. However, their chai latte may be a little less creamy.
Healthy Tips for Ordering Chai Lattes at the Coffee Shop
Many places make chai tea concentrates ahead of time and add sugar and syrup flavors to give them a sweeter taste. As a dietitian, I recommend asking your barista if they do this and ideally looking for coffee shops that don’t. If you can find a sugar-free chai latte, you can ask for honey or maple syrup for a touch of natural sweetness. Also, keep in mind that most nut milks contain added sweeteners, so if you go the dairy-free route you may not need anything extra. However, if you can’t find an unsweetened chai tea latte, don’t worry—I’d just avoid asking for more sweeteners or flavors.
Finally, if you feel like it, you can do homemade chai tea (Here’s one of my favorite recipes!) In just a few easy steps! Plus, chai tea is incredibly versatile in recipes. Read on to learn how to make Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookie.
Healthy Taylor Swift Chai Cookies
Now comes the part you’ve been waiting for… Taylor Swift shared a photo of her handwritten chai cookie recipe – you can find it here! Ok, it’s official, I’m drooling and I hope you are too. But, as a registered dietitian, I’m not going to lie, I think I can make this recipe better and even healthier. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the recipe as is. However, the holidays come with a lot of sweets, so I like to modify some with a healthy twist to help balance it all out.
Healthy Taylor Swift Chai Cookies Recipe
This healthy version of Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies recipe follows Taylor’s original format but with a few substitutions.
First, the only thing that caught my attention in this recipe was the amount of sugar between the sugar in the mixture and the powdered sugar on top. So instead, I choose to use maple syrup and coconut sugar as it is a natural sweetener that complements the flavors of the chai. However, you can also use honey or dates, as all of these natural sweeteners have a lower glycemic index than table sugar. This means they will cause smaller spikes in blood sugar levels. It’s a lot of fun to get rid of powdered sugar, so I left it in there, but reduced the amount from ½ cup to ¼ cup.
Next, I opted to substitute gluten-free almond flour for the flour to make it more inclusive, especially if you’re bringing it to share with friends and family! You can use any gluten-free flour you prefer, Bob’s Red Mill It has big ones and also simple mills and King Arthur. (search for conversion here!)
Lastly, this original recipe uses butter and vegetable oil. So, in an effort to reduce the calories in these cookies and “sail them up,” we decided to say goodbye to the vegetable oil and stick with butter. If you don’t use dairy, don’t worry, you can use your preference of dairy-free butter.
What you will need
- 1 cup butter (or dairy-free alternative)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (optional)
- 1 egg
- 3 cups of almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 chai tea bags (note that we chose to use three bags here due to the density of the almond flour and felt the cookies still had a mild chai flavor. However, if you opt for a different flour that is less dense, feel free to use it). Adjust the quantity of chai tea bags to your desired intensity/flavor!)
How to make Taylor Swift’s chai cookie
Recipe instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a baking sheet.
- Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and chai tea spices.
- Chill the dough for one hour.
- Line cookie sheet with 12 tablespoons of dough drops (expect large cookies!)
- Bake for 15-17 minutes and enjoy!
To make these cookies healthier we like to add strong protein powder and it really adds a lot more flavor to these chai treats. Add a full tablespoon to the dough, stir and bake!
Final thoughts
Pretty much everything Taylor Swift does, I do and let me tell you, I have yet to be disappointed. Their original Chai cookie recipes were delicious, but our healthier version is chef kiss.
