Masala Chai Shortbread Recipe is the ideal baked treat for International Tea Day, perfect as a side or a snack for tea-time. It is a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread that captures the flavour of the spices and the perfect cup of chai in every bite. Classic shortbread is one of the easiest bakes there is, requiring only a handful of ingredients, and this version dials up the flavour by grinding loose black tea leaves with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black pepper into the dough. So, what makes this masala chai shortbread recipe particularly suited to International Tea Day is how well it pairs with both the beverage and the occasion. These are slice-and-bake refrigerator cookies, where the spiced dough is shaped into a log, chilled until firm, then sliced into discs and baked into shortbread. The chilling step gives the cookies their trademark texture and ensures the baked treat holds its round shape, with the flavours intensifying as the dough rests. The spice blend here is a homemade chai masala, ground fresh in a coffee or spice grinder, with cardamom as the most dominant, followed by cinnamon and cloves, and a finishing touch of black pepper that lingers pleasantly on the palate. Ground black tea leaves form the base of the spice mix, anchoring it firmly as a chai-flavoured shortbread rather than merely a spiced one. Bake a batch this International Tea Day, pack it into a tin, and serve it alongside a steaming cup of masala chai.