Chai Spice Cookie Bars – Soft and flavorful cookie bars filled with the comforting flavors of chai spice and topped with a thick layer of vanilla-chai frosting.
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Hello, friends! Today I’m bringing you the coziest dessert ever: Chai Spice Cookie Bars! I vote that we take the next week off work/school/real responsibilities and bake holiday treats non-stop. Who’s with me?!
The chilly weather has me craving all things warm and comforting. I currently have my hands wrapped around a big mug of piping hot chai tea. I’ll wait here while you get yourself a warm beverage. We have holiday baking to discuss!
This is the month for baking and sharing sweets (I’m so happy I could squeal). Sometime soon you’ll need a recipe for a cookie exchange, a treat for house guests, or a little something to nibble on as you wrap those gifts and finish trimming the tree. This here is the ideal recipe for all your holiday needs. The comforting flavors and warm spices make this the ultimate crowd pleaser.
What we have here is a thick and soft chai spiced cookie bar topped with a vanilla-chai spice frosting. Since we’re making bars instead of individual cookies this recipe is quite simple. The cookie dough gets pressed into a pan and then baked. Once cooled, a quick frosting is made and spread across the whole pan of bars.
These bars are made extra delicious by the use of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour. I can’t speak highly enough of Bob’s Red Mill products, and I am always thrilled to partner with them.
Year round I use a variety of Bob’s Red Mill products (pancake mix, cornmeal, almond flour, muesli, oats, couscous) but, during the holiday season, I always make sure I have a large bag of their all-purpose flour on hand for all my baking needs.
This is the same high protein flour used by professional bakers. It produces high, well-textured loaves of bread equally as well as it produces light, airy baked goods. It is made from freshly milled organic hard red wheat and it is not enriched with any additives. You will love baking with it!
All that’s left to do is grab these ingredients and get baking. The holidays are calling!
You might also like: CHAI SPICE CRUMB CAKE – SNICKERDOODLE BARS – CINNAMON SUGAR COOKIES
Recipe
Chai Spice Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Bars:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill White All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons chai spice mix, see note
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons half and half or cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons chai spice mix, see note
Optional topping:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or coarse sugar
- ½ teaspoon chai spice mix, see note
Instructions
Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 baking pan. You can also line the baking pan with foil, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides (this will allow you to easily lift the whole pan of bars out of the pan). Spray or grease the foil.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and sour cream and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and 4 teaspoons chai spice.With the mixer on low, slowly add the the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined (do not over-mix). Spread the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan (it will be thick). Bake for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the center no longer jiggles. Be careful not to over bake. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Frosting:
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add half and half, vanilla extract, and 2 teaspoons chai spice. Beat until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars. If desired, combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the frosted bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Sarah
Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite! Loving the chai spice you have in these too! What an awesome recipe, can’t wait to try! XO
Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated
I love sipping on chai tea lattes at this time of year, so I can’t wait to try your dessert bar version! I love the ratio of bar to frosting – in some of your pics is looks like it’s 50-50!
Sabrina | The Tomato Tart
This is delicious looking cookies , love the frosting. This is great sweet treats idea for holidays.
Alyssa
I love how beautfiully cleancut these bars looks! I also love Chai and all Indian flavors. I actually just made Dirty Chai cupcakes and posted on my blog. These looks like something that could be just as delicious.
Claire Jessiman
These have a real hygge feel about them. A hug in cake form! Love all the spices and flavours.
Kristine
I love making cookie bars, they are so easy and so yummy! And chai? Oh my gosh, my daughter would love these – I am saving this recipe to make with my holiday baking! Thank you!
Ali @ Home & Plate
This is my favorite time of the year. Time to enjoy the baking and time in the kitchen with family. These Chai spice cookie bars are so unique and look delicious. I’m afraid we’d have to double the recipe though. Happy Holidays.
Charla @ That Girl Cooks Healthy
Yum! I need to be more adventurous and whip up some chai spiced recipes. This one sounds amazing, and that frosting…….drool worthy!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon
Those bars look amazing! I love the thick layer of chai frosting you put on top. That makes them a perfect holiday indulgence. 🙂 And I agree on Bob’s Red Mill. I’m always buying their specialty flours. Where would we be without their almond flour and rice flour and so on?
Kara @ Byte Sized Nutrition
I love chai flavors, but rarely ever make chai baked goods. These look incredible and the vanilla chai frosting just does me in!