Chai

Chai Tea (Latte)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1/4 inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin)
2/3 cup of milk
6 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons of Darjeeling Tea leaves

Place water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil.
Cover and lower heat to low setting and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add milk and sugar and again bring to simmer.
Next, add the tea leaves, remove from heat and cover.
Let steep for 3 minutes and strain. Enjoy!

Chai Tea Latte
INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 large strip of orange peel
3 whole cloves
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
3 whole black peppercorns
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons black tea leaves
DIRECTIONS
Combine the milk and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once this mixture has warmed, place the orange peel, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, nutmeg, sugar and tea leaves into the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the color deepens to your liking. Strain out spices, and pour into cups.




Chai Latte Cupcakes

prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 20 minutes | makes 12

Ingredients
1 cup soy or rice milk
4 black teabags or 2 tablespoons loose black tea
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of ground white or black pepper

For topping:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground mace

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 and line tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan heat soymilk till almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.When ready to use stir teabags and thoroughly squeeze to insure as much tea is dissolved in milk as possible.

In a large bowl wisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla and tea mixture until all yogurt lumps disappear. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and pepper into wet ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear; some small lumps are okay. Fill tins full and bake about 20 to 22 minutes until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean.

Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before adding topping, or the sugar will melt and not look pretty or powdery.

To assemble, sift confectioners sugar over cooled cupcakes first, then mix cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and sift onto each cupcake. Enjoy!

Chai Latte Muffins
1 cup soy milk (I used vanilla)
4 black/chair teabags
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of ground pepper

Prehat oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Heat milk to almost boiling (in the microwave or a small sauce pan) and steep the tea bags for about 10 minutes, making very strong, milky tea. Don't worry about making the tea bitter (which can happen as a result of oversteeping) because you won't taste it in the end product.
In a large bowl wisk together oil, yogurt, sugar and vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Pour half into the yogurt mixture, stirring well, followed by the tea mixture and the rest of the flour. Stir only until just combined, then evenly distribute into prepared muffin tin.
Bake for about 21-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Makes 12 mufins.

Top with sifted confectioners' sugar when cooled. Mix 2 tbsp cocoa powder with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg together in a small bowl. Sift lightly over top of the sugar (using a stencil for accuracy, if you want) to add a bit of extra spice.

Chai Latte Brownies
If you love the rich flavor of Mexican hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon, this dessert will delight you. These brownies are best served warm and gooey.

1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 cardamom pods, crushed
3 whole allspice, crushed
3 whole cloves
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large microwave-safe bowl; discard solids. Add chocolate chips and butter to milk mixture; microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until chips and butter melt, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly; add eggs, stirring with a whisk.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring just until combined. Spread evenly into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 20 pieces.

Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

1 cup strong chai tea
1/3 cup uncooked quick (not instant) oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger (use more for a spicier cake)
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked coconut, 2 tbsp reserved
3/4 tsp pure stevia extract (adjust to taste)

Prepare the chai ahead of time by steeping two teabags (I used decaffeinated Tazo Chai) in one cup of boiling water until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Combine the dry ingredients (oatmeal through ginger) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the chai, applesauce, vinegar, extracts, and all but 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Mix well and add the stevia, adjusting it to taste.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crust
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
11/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

Filling
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese (Italian cream cheese)
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Topping
1 1/3 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
preparation
For crust:
Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Sift flour, ginger, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another medium bowl until blended. Beat in egg yolk, then flour mixture. Stir in crystallized ginger. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out on floured surface to 9-inch round. Transfer to prepared pan. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan; pierce all over with fork. Freeze 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool crust completely on rack.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add mascarpone; beat until smooth. Beat in whole eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in yolks. Add next 6 ingredients; beat until blended. Transfer filling to cooled crust in pan; smooth top. Bake cake 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. Continue baking until cake is set around edges but center moves slightly when pan is gently shaken (top of cake may crack), about 30 minutes longer. Remove cake from oven. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.

For topping:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl; spread evenly over top of cake. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Run small knife around cake sides. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Banana Chai Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lowfat cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup brewed chai tea

Chai Buttercream Frosting
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix sugar, cream cheese, and eggs until light and fluffy. Mix mashed bananas and Chai into cream cheese mixture. Add flour mixture and mix until smooth.
Pour mixture into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F(175 degrees C) oven for 60 minutes. Cool on rack. Remove from pan after 10 minutes.


INGREDIENTS
2 chai tea bags
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cold milk
DIRECTIONS
Prepare a very strong tea by steeping the tea bag in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cream the butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.
Pour tea into cold milk; beat milk into frosting until incorporated. Continue beating frosting until fluffy.