White Chocolate Caramel Chai Oatmeal Cookies

I wish you could smell these as they are baking!  My entire house smells delicious!  These cookies mix the exotic flavors of sweet cinnamon, spicy ginger and fragrant cardamom of chai tea with the class taste of oatmeal cookies. Add caramel bits and white chocolate and you have an irresistible cookie!

I’m a chai tea lover and this recipe is one of my favorites. I love to check out markets and gourmet food stores when we travel. One of my favorites is The Spice & Tea Exchange. There are many locations and we happened to be at the one in Annapolis. My favorite find? The Vanilla Turbinado Sugar. I am lightly sprinkling this on my cookies today before I put them in the oven to bake. So good!

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

Tea from 3 chai tea bags – I use Tazo chai (about 3 tablespoons)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 bag caramel bits (11 ounce) (can substitute toffee bits) 

1 bag white chocolate chips (12 ounce)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. The caramel bits tend to stick to the paper so I lightly spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray.

Combine butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour, chai tea, baking soda, kosher salt and oatmeal.  Stir well.

Add caramel bits and chocolate chips.  Mix well.

Spoon cookie dough on prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a glass dipped in sugar. Another option is to sprinkle with turbinado sugar for a little added sparkle and delicious-ness! Bake 13 – 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 3-5 minutes (caramel bits will be sticky). Transfer to a rack to cool.