Dirty Chai Gingerbread Cookies Ingredients  

  • 11/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons espresso powder 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
  • 21/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 11/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 pinch fine ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 C Granulated sugar, for rolling
  • Icing
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 C T strong brewed black tea
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
  • 1 pinch fresh ground nutmeg
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Instructions  

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mat
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, espresso, and vanilla paste until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing to combine. Then, add the molasses and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and salt, beating until combined.
  3. Place the sugar in a small bowl.
  4. Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls with a cookie scoop, then roll through the sugar. 
  5. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 -12 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to crisp around the edges, the centers should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan for 15 - 20 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack with parchment underneath to catch the messy icing.
  6. Make icing when cookies have cooled ( it sets up quickly) 

Icing Add the butter to a pan set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until its a little bubbly (2-3 minutes) and smells a toasty .  Remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla paste, 2T Brewed tea, grind nutmeg with a fine grind plane into the pan and add a pinch of salt.  Stir and add tea as needed until you reach your favorite consistency, I used about 3 T.  Immediately spread the icing on the cookies or dip the cookies in the icing (about half the cookie). I just drizzled the icing off the whisk over them and it was perfect!