Some people appreciate a good cup of tea. Me? I’m all about the coffee but I’ll drink the occasionally cup of chai. I enjoy the spices and the flavor but when it comes right down to it, I’m a coffee girl. That said, I also enjoy a good muffin for breakfast or a snack. And when I stumbled across these Chai Snack Muffins, I knew two ladies who would know if it was any good.

Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 15-20 min.
Total time: 40 min.
6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

MUFFINS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk
1 large egg

STREUSEL
4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

GLAZE (optional)
1/2 cup confectioners powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

LET’S MAKE IT

STREUSEL
1 – In a small mixing bowl stir flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until mixed.

2 – Cut the cold butter into small cubes. “Cut” then cut into the dry mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until you get a good “crumble.” This is for use later.

MUFFINS
1 – Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a muffin pan with liners or grease each well with butter.

2 – In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves and stir to combine.

3 – Cube the cold butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork. Similar to the crumble, you will have small bits of butter in a crumbly texture.

4 – In a small bowl, add the sour cream, milk, and egg and whisk to combine. Add to the dry mixture and stir with a spatula until mixed. The batter will be lumpy and thick.

5 – Spoon some batter into each muffin cup filling about halfway. Sprinkle the top with some of the streusel topping then top off with another spoonful of batter. Carefullly spread the batter to cover the middle layer of streusel and then sprinkle more streusel on top.

6 – Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.

GLAZE
1 – If you use the icing glaze, add ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle on top of the muffins before serving.

TIPS
1 – Yummiest when served warm.

2 – Store any leftover muffins in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Only is the big chai latte fan. I like the taste but if I’m paying for it, I prefer a mocha frappucino. Still, I’m betting these muffins would go down well with a hot cup of cafe au lait. I mean–muffins! Sweet and spicy. Anyway, I checked with Dr. Jacey Randolph (HUNTER’S MOON) and Annie Simmons (WOLF MOON) and discovered they both made these muffins. Their kids and mates–along with everyone else– is all about the muffins. They also hinted that they make this small batch just for themselves because they don’t like to share. Something to keep in mind. 😉 Anyway, if you are interested in their stories, you can read them individually by clicking on the referenced title or…you can save money and grab MOONSTRUCK: LIES, which contines both books PLUS extra chapters and deleted scenes, and it’s specially priced. Anyway, go forth and treat yourself to snacks and books! Click on a pic or the title to hit the landing page with all the available stoes.