If you’ve read my blog, you know that I love me some whole grains, and I try to eat them as much as possible. But let me be clear. Whole wheat pasta? I eat it, and I don’t not like it, but I can tell the difference. White pasta tastes just a little better.
But whole wheat flour in cookies? You will never even notice the difference! Promise. Cross my heart.
And these Orange Chai Spice Cookies are the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth, without too much guilt since there is no white flour at all in them! And man, are they tasty.
Granted, there is a lot of sugar in them. But since these are small cookies and are freezable, it’s easy to enjoy them in moderation and save them for a long time for when you just need something sweet in your life. Or, pull them out of the freezer when you have unexpected guests. OR, you can eat a few and bring the surplus to your new neighbors, which is exactly what I am going to do!
Fall seems to be slowly creeping in to New England early this year. My favorite season! I’ve always loved fall in that it’s a multi-sensory experience: the smell of the cool, crisp air, the crunch of the fallen leaves on the sidewalk, the beautiful foliage on your drive to work, wearing scarves and boots, and of course, the warming flavors of fall foods. In these cookies, orange, golden raisins, ginger, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice all blend together to create a chewy, spicy, unique cookie that is perfect with a cup of black coffee, tea, or cider.
It’s a perfect way to ring in the fall :-)
I used whole wheat pastry flour for these. Pastry flour is ground a little finer than regular flour, which helps avoid the harshness that some whole wheat flours can have. As an alternative, you can use spelt flour for these- it’s a bit lighter tasting than whole wheat flour, but still a whole grain (it’s just a little more expensive, too). For an example of yumminess made from spelt flour, check out my lemon poppy seed bread :-)
Shoutout to a Handful of Raspberries for the inspiration to create a whole wheat chai cookie! Genius.
Instructions below- don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients- you likely already have most of them in your pantry. Enjoy!
Orange Chai Spice Cookies (made with whole wheat flour!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick) melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice from about 1 orange, plus the zest of the orange
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- turbinado sugar to coat the cookies (optional)
Instructions
- Add egg, mix until well combined.
- Add orange juice (1/4 cup), orange zest, kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon), baking soda (1 teaspoon), and spices; mix until well combined.
- Add flour (1.5 cups); mix until just combined.
- Fold in raisins (1/2 cup).
- Chill dough for about an hour.
- Put turbinado sugar in a small bowl, if using. Spoon out small portions of the dough and roll into balls (no bigger than a ping-pong ball), and roll the balls of dough in the turbinado sugar until coated.
- Place the cookie balls on a parchment covered cookie sheet, about two inches apart (they will flatten considerably)
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until just starting to get golden.
Notes
- You can use regular whole wheat flour, spelt flour, or regular white flour (add 1/4 cup) for this.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Elizabeth McDonald
Had anyone made these without raisins? Just not a fan of raisins in cookies.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Go ahead and leave them out if you like – they will be delicious!
Denice Carter
Wheat is a no no, so can you use almond flour? Your recipes are wonderful! I made the banana, oats, pnut butter bars last night. Yum!
Elizabeth
Aw thanks so much, and so glad you liked the banana bars! I’ve never substituted with almond flour. It’s quite different from regular flour. This substitution list suggests that using almond flour at a 1:1 ratio is fine, but that you may need more binding agents (more egg) so the recipe may need to be altered. If you’re up for an experiment, I’d probably use the same amount of almond flour and one additional egg. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it! Good luck!
huntfortheverybest
such a lovely cookie!
Elizabeth
Thanks! Having eaten two this morning for breakfast (I swear, I usually eat healthier breakfasts!), I can definitely say that yes, they are lovely cookies :-)
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Loving the look and sound of an orange and chai cookie! These look delicious, next time I feel like baking cookies I will be referring to your recipe!
Elizabeth
Thanks, Thalia! I hope you like them- if you try them let me know how they come out! :-)
Lisa Lindemann
These sound wonderful, and perfect for Fall, with all their spicy flavor. Can’t wait to make them!