Vanilla Chai Muffins Recipe

中文

Chai, also known as masala chai, is a spiced tea originated from South Asia. Apart from black tea leaves, the main ingredients usually include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black pepper, all of which are boiled in milk with sugar added, too. In this Ed’s Elevenses blog post, I will talk briefly about chai before letting you get absorbed in its warm fragrance whilst trying out this versatile 10-step Vanilla Chai Muffins recipe.

What is “chai”?

“Chai” is the word for tea in languages such as Hindi, Czech, Turkish, and Russian. The term itself, in fact, was derived from the Chinese word for tea — 茶 (“cha”). Therefore, “chai tea” is literally “tea tea”.

In Traditional Chinese, chai is called “印度奶茶” (lit. Indian milk tea), and “marsala chai” is often translated as “混合香料茶” (lit. Mixed-spice tea). As you can see, the literal meaning of “chai as tea” is retained in the latter form, while the former describes the milky beverage instead — interesting!

Is chai latte a coffee?

Chai latte, usually served hot, is a milky and silky-rich beverage widely available in cafés. However, similar to the fact that white chocolate is not chocolate, chai latte is not a latte/coffee; it is made by adding frothed milk into the spiced tea base, hence “latte”. Although chai latte does not contain any coffee, there is still caffeine in it because of the presence of black tea, so perhaps it is the perfect drink to order when it is way past coffee hour but you still need a bit of a spicy kick.

10-step Vanilla Chai Muffins Recipe

This recipe is relaxingly simple to follow and it gives you freedom to intensify the spiciness: I use vanilla chai in this recipe, but feel free to use the ordinary ones; I added extra cinnamon and cardamom, and you can keep them or replace them with other spices that you like; I love the sweetness and crunch of almonds, but you may use other nuts, or even some fresh raspberries or tiny dark chocolate chips instead. Also, if you want to make it dairy-free, you are more than welcome to use plant-based milk in place of the cow’s milk.

Delicious on their own at elevenses or enjoyed with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, these Vanilla Chai Muffins can brighten up even the dullest, weariest days.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients

120 ml full fat milk
1 vanilla chai teabag
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
80 ml vegetable oil (plus extra for the silicone cases, if using)
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
150 g plain flour
50 g buckwheat flour (or any wholemeal, non-bread flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
50 g soft light/dark brown sugar
30 g almonds, roughly chopped

Method

1. Tear open the teabag and add the contents — together with the cinnamon and cardamom — to the milk in a small pan.
2. Warm the spiced milk briefly while stirring to mix, and leave to cool in a jug.
3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC Fan/200ºC Conventional/Gas 6, and line a 6-hole muffin tin with paper cases or brush 6 silicone muffin cases lightly with oil.
4. In a mixing bowl, measure out and sift the two types of flour and baking powder.
5. Measure out and add the sugar and most of the chopped almonds, then combine well.
6. When the milk is cool enough, whisk in the egg, oil, and vanilla.
7. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry using a wooden spoon.
8. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cases using an ice-cream scoop or a couple of spoons, before sprinkling the remaining almonds on top.
9. Bake for 20–25 minutes in the preheated oven, by which time your kitchen will be filled with the fragrance of the warm spices and the toasted almonds.
10. Allow them to cool in the case for a few minutes before cooling them completely on a wire rack.

Tips

• If you use all 200 g of plain flour, then I would suggest that you should add a little bit more milk to the batter, as plain flour tends to absorb more liquid than wholemeal, non-bread flour. The low gluten content in the wholemeal, non-bread flour such as buckwheat, spelt, and rye gives the muffins a crumbly texture.
• If you have only got cardamom pods, then crack open 3 pods, remove the seeds, and crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar.
• Other spices that work well in this recipe include freshly grated nutmeg for sweetness and ground ginger for warmth.
• For extra crunch and sweetness, you can mix the remaining almonds with a tablespoon of demerara sugar before sprinkling on top of the batter.

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Edison Tam MA MCIL CL is a Translator, Proofreader, and Copyeditor (zh-hk/en) who works with students, independent non-fiction writers, academic researchers, and clients from businesses and organisations of all sizes.

He is Chartered Linguist and Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), and has undergone wide-ranging academic training in Business, Modern Languages, and Applied Linguistics in Hong Kong, London, and Barcelona.