Spicy Chai Granola Muffins

Spicy Chai Granola Muffins

January 21, 2018

Servings: 12

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 15 min

Total: 30 min

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You will fall in love with these muffins before they come out of the oven! The fragrant flavors of chai wafting through your kitchen as they bake is just heavenly.

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• Muffins:
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP Insant Chai Tea Mix (Trader Joes' Spicy Chai is my go-to)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup granola of your choice (we used the Me & Ollies blend, found in my homestate of NH)
• Optional Cinnamon Sugar Glaze:
• 3 TBSP butter, melted
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 375°F and coat a 12-cup muffin pan with with cooking spray. Whisk together the two flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the chai tea mix and then make a well in the center of the mixture.
• Step 2 Combine buttermilk (see our hack below if you just have milk!), melted butter, vanilla, and the egg in a medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the granola.
• Step 3 Spoon batter into each baking cup (about 3/4 full) and bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins and allow them to cool slightly in the pan (about 5 minutes) before removing to a wire rack.
• Step 4 Meanwhile, if you plan to glaze your muffins, mix together the additional melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, spices, vanilla and milk. Whisk until smooth.
• Step 5 Once muffins are cooled, dip the muffin into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. You can double dip for a thicker layer or leave them as is. My glaze was thick so I only had to do it once.
• Step 6 Serve warm or cool completely and then store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I find storing them in the fridge allows them to stay fresh longer!

We had family in town all weekend, so I haven’t had time to cook or post at all!  But, I’m down to business this Sunday afternoon, since it’s always one of my favorite times to bake for the week ahead. Making a batch of fresh muffins has been great for me lately, because it takes all of the fuss out of breakfast planning for the week. I’m always running all over the place, so I’m big on grab and go these days. Plus now that our almost 10 month old is eating everything off my plate, muffins are super easy to share with him too. I’ve found many a recipe for chai muffins, but this recipe has a special twist – granola!

For that reason (and many more!) I’ve been all about muffins this winter and I just love dreaming up new recipes to satisfy my craving. Today’s recipe is no exception; I am combining the flavoring of my favorite Trader Joe’s chai tea latte mix with my all-time granola obsession, the Me & Ollies Granola Munch:

Unfortunately, this particular granola is not sold online (hence why I make my parents bring me fresh granola every time they visit!), so that means you can make my recipe your very own by simply substituting your own favorite granola.

You’ll notice in step 2 that I add buttermilk to the muffin batter. I don’t always have buttermilk on hand so I love to use this buttermilk hack (which I first shared in my Cauliflower Mash recipe):

If you don’t have buttermilk handy here are some substitutions suggestions:

• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup or
• Add 1-3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to 1 cup of milk

Let it stand for 5-10 minutes to thicken and curdle.  Ta-da, instant buttermilk!

15 minutes is all these babies need to bake. Once cooled, they’re ready to serve warm!

If you’re feeling extra ambitious, I added an optional cinnamon sugar glaze to my muffins in the last step, but they’re fine without.  I glazed half my batch when I made it, so now I don’t have to decide!