Prepare the spiced sugar. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves to a small bowl. Whisk until evenly combined and set aside.

Brown the butter. Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt and begin to simmer, stirring or swirling occasionally. Continue cooking for about 5–8 minutes, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty.

Cool the brown butter. Immediately transfer the browned butter to a heat-safe bowl. Refrigerate until completely cooled and solidified but still soft enough to beat.

Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the cooled brown butter with an electric mixer on high speed for about 1 minute, until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until well combined and creamy.

Add the wet ingredients. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, heavy cream, and molasses. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Make the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until a soft cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing.

Shape and coat. Divide the dough into about 22 portions using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll each portion into a ball, then generously coat it in the prepared spiced sugar.

Bake the Chai Cookies. Arrange about 8 dough balls at a time on a prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. Bake for 11–12 minutes, until the edges are set while the centers still look slightly soft.

Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.