Chai Crescents #19

Chai Crescents #19 from Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies Periodical 2010

Okay, I think I was a little lazy today, sorry but these still turned out very good. They call to be rolled out and made into crescent shapes and you all know I don't like rolling out dough so I didn't do that part. They also call for a butter frosting which I didn't make either, they just didn't need it (but I included the recipe--feel free to make the frosting and let me know how it goes). My daughter loves Chai tea so she thought these were very good--they are a small nice looking cookie--good visually.

1 cup butter softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon loose chai tea, finely ground (I used 3 packages of tea bags for this and didn't need to ground them since they were already so fine in texture)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Butter Frosting
Finely chopped crystallized ginger or sugar (I would have used Wilton's Sparkling sugar crystals if I had done this part)

In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, chai tea, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle (again, I didn't do this part because I didn't roll out dough) I formed dough into 1 inch balls and placed them 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Baked at 375 degrees for 10 minutes and made 48 cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3 inch crescent-shape cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on a ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

Spread the cookies with Butter Frosting and sprinkle with sugar or crystallized ginger. Makes about 48 cookies.

Butter Frosting

In a large bowl beat 1/3 cup softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 1 Tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually add 2 cups additional powdered sugar, beating well. If necessary, beat in enough additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time to make a frosting of spreading consistency.