Morning Chai Muffins

Chai muffins by SeasonWithSpice.com

Just 8 days until Christmas!

With too much going on leading up to the big holiday, start your day with a quick, delicious muffin.  A Morning Chai Muffin.

After work this week, or after the kids go to bed, whip up a dozen of these tasty muffins to enjoy for the next few breakfasts.  Okay maybe one or two right out of the oven for a bedtime snack, but keep the others to gobble up while driving to work, or if you have the time, to sit back in the kitchen and savor with a hot cup of coffee.  They’re best when warmed up, cut in half, and topped with just a dab of butter that slowly melts into the center.

Chai Muffins recipe with Chai Tea Blend by SeasonWithSpice.com

If you love the sweet, warming, spicy aroma from a steamy mug of chai tea, you’ll love these Morning Chai Muffins.

Our Chai Tea Blend has just the right coarse texture for baking recipes.  Ground fine enough, so the softness of the muffin isn’t impacted, but not too fine, so every bite excites your taste buds with bursts of cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and ginger. 

The spices in our Chai Tea Blend are left coarse to retain their strong flavor, and for the visual appeal they display in baked goods.  But unlike the spices, the key, balancing ingredient in our blend – a premium Ceylon tea powder – is ground into a such a fine powder (like that of flour or matcha) that when stirred into a batter, it melts instantly, infusing the mix with the rich aroma of soothing black tea. 

Try our Chai Tea Blend in recipes for cakes, cookies, breads, and of course muffins.

Chai Tea Muffins by SeasonWithSpice.com

Morning Chai Muffins by SeasonWithSpice
Makes a dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter - softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup raw sugar or granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tsp of Season with Spice’s Chai Tea Blend (for a stronger chai flavor, add another 1/2 tsp)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour – sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Pecan Streusel Topping (optional):
3 tbsp all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter – diced
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Method: 
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a muffin pan or line with muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time. Stir in the Chai Tea Blend. Mix well. Add in the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, and stir until combined (careful not to overmix the batter). Finally, stir in the apple cider vinegar.
4. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups (about 3/4 full). If using pecan streusel, generously sprinkle over each cup.
5. Lower the temperature to 375F. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then serve warm with a dab of butter.

For pecan streusel topping:
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add in butter and pecans, and mix with your fingers until it holds together in moist clumps.