Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Chai Breakfast Cupcakes

You know how sometimes you have something you haven't had in a long time and then  you have it and you are immediately re-obsessed with it?

This happened to me today. With Chai tea. I stopped to get breakfast this morning and the restaurant was plastered with signs about how delicious chai tea is and how I should clearly get one to have with my delicious bacon, egg, and cheese on marbled rye bagel. I did it. I am a victim of advertisements.

Anyway, I got home and was browsing my new Fall Baking magazine I got on a whim yesterday at the Wal-Marts and saw a recipe for Chai Cupcakes. I thought to myself...mmm...more chai.

But
I was also thinking of others! I work in accounting and tomorrow is month-end closing...which kinda sucks. So I thought I would make these and bring them in to share with my wonderful co-workers! It's a win-win situation. Or win-win-win.

Here are you ingredients!


Except the brown sugar. I don't know how and/or why that got in there. It just happened.

I was looking for my cupcake pans because I just moved about a month ago and was looking in my fancy lazy susan cabniet. I just like to show it off:



Yeah, it wasn't there. It was in the cabinet that I keep my baking sheets in. But whatevs...got to show off my sweet cabinet.

Once you locate your cupcake pans, fill them whatever pretty cupcake liners you like


While your oven is preheating to 350 degrees, mix your regular flour, wheat flour, baking power, baking soda, ginger and salt together in a medium bowl.



Then you need to put your milk in a saucepan and let it simmer, then you will put your chai tea bags in to steep. I dug out my favorite saucepan like thing that I saved to use for a whole year. I got it for Christmas the year that I lived with 4 boys, and I didn't want them to ruin it. It's super cool! Check it outttttttt!



Then, I realized that I did not in fact have the chai tea packets that the recipe called for, which was sad. I bought some chai tea while I was in India last year and I had yet to open it, when I finally did (today...just now) it turns out they are instant chai tea mixes. Oops.

Well, I did the best I could. After my milk started simmering, I added a couple pinches of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon and then added one packet of the instant ginger chai tea. I let it simmer a bit and took it off the heat. If you follow the rules for realizies, let the tea bags steep about 5 minutes, remove from the milk, and then let it cool.





In a separate large bowl, use your hand mixer to beat your softened stick of butter until it's all light and fluffy. On a side note, I like to assume everyone is using a hand mixer, because as much as I would love a Kitchen-Aid mixer, they are expensive as heck and I always feel sad when recipes just assume you have one. It also makes me feel like I am getting a mini arm workout. So there. Vindicated'd.


Add in your sugar and beat, then your vanilla, beat, egg, beat, egg number two, beat. It kind of sounds like a poem/rap/song. But that's how you do it.

Then you will alternatively add in the flour mixture and the milk mixture to your sugar/butter stuff. Beat until just combined on low speed. I forgot to take a picture of this part. Sorry...I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. But here is a picture of some of the batter after I poured it in the measuring cup.


I then poured the batter in my measuring cup to then pour in the cupcake liners.


Once you get your cupcake liners about 2/3 full, sprinkle with granola. The recipe calls for maple flavored granola which would indeed be delicious, but we had some granola that had dates and raisins and almonds and so I used that instead.





Bake your cupcakes for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Or if you can't find your toothpicks maybe panic and instead insert a knife in and hope for the best.

I also may have gotten distracted by the kitty while the cupcakes were baking. Here he is. He's the cutest. And apparently a weird contortionist.

Back to the cupcakes.







I cut mine in half and put some delicious butter on it. It was tasty and crispy on top and had some fantastic chai flavor. I was afraid they wouldn't turn out well...but they turned out awwwwwwwwesome!

I hope everyone at work likes them tomorrow!

Chai Breakfast Cupcakes
adapted from Fall Baking from Better Homes and Gardens 2011

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/4 c. milk
  • 4 chai tea bags (I used 1 packet instant chai tea mix and a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves)
  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 c. maple flavored granola (or really most any granola, but I used the kind with raisins/almonds/dates)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350, line 24 cupcake liners in cupcake pans. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and baking soda, ginger, and salt and mix.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy, then add in the sugar and eggs, beating well after each addition.
4. In a small saucepan, simmer the milk and steep the chai tea about 5 minutes, remove bags and then let it cool.
5. Alternate adding in the flour mixture with the milk mixture to the sugar and butter until combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners to about 2/3 full then sprinkle with granola.
7. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

As usual, thanks for reading! :)

<3, Carly
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