Ingredients
Scale
For the vanilla dough:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the chai dough:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons finely ground black tea
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground back pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Assembly:
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup sanding sugar or demerara sugar
Instructions
- For the vanilla dough: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture and pulse mixer until dough is fully combined, scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula to make sure everything is incorporated. Turn dough onto a work surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together. Wrap dough in plastic and set aside.
- For the chai dough: In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture and pulse mixer until dough is fully combined, scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula to make sure everything is incorporated. Turn dough onto a work surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together.
- Assembly: Slice each dough in half, creating 2 chunks of vanilla dough and 2 chunks of chai dough. Roll each dough to form a 5”x5” square. Stack the doughs on top of one another in alternating layers. Then, cut the stacked dough square in half.
- Knead one of the halves of the dough a few times to create a marble effect. (Do not overdo this step or the colors will blend together.) Repeat with the remaining dough. Then, combine the two dough halves together and knead 2-3 more times. Roughly form dough into a 9” x 4½” rectangle.
- Line a 9” x 4½” loaf pan with plastic wrap. Place dough into the pan and press firmly to form dough to the pan. Wrap dough tightly with the plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Spread sanding sugar into a single layer onto a baking sheet or cutting board. Remove dough from plastic wrap and brush a thin layer of egg white on all sides, excluding the ends. Press the dough into the sanding sugar until the sides are evenly coated.
- With a sharp knife, cut dough into ¼-inch cookies. Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until they look slightly dried out and the bottoms are lightly golden, 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
Makes 24 cookies