Chai-Infused Cinnamon Roll Muffins | Recipe

Chai-Infused Cinnamon Roll Muffins | Recipe

I am always trying to create new ways to insert tea into my diet and the challenge of doing so is just as exciting. Finding ways to substitute or enhance flavors through is a great way to play with flavors and learn through failures. I had an idea for this recipe right before bed. Bird & Blend Tea Co reached out to me to try and come up with a recipe including their tea, and it has been on my mind since the tea arrived on my doorstep. Being mostly dairy-free, I have master the art of finding replacements and being able to consume my favorite foods with little differences. I wanted to do the same.

That is when the idea of chai-infused cinnamon rolls came to my head. What if I could replace the cinnamon with chai? Would it work out? There was really only one way to find out. I had no idea how to make cinnamon buns from scratch, so I based my recipe on a cinnamon roll muffin recipe from Janine Huldie, mostly liking that this recipe did not have any waiting time for the dough to rise or other ways (I am an impatient woman). However, I had to slightly adjust this recipe to accommodate my love of tea. I used Toffee Chai from Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Here is the recipe that I used, with adjustments from me to account for the tea. It makes 12 muffins!

For the Muffins:

  • 3/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground Toffee Chai
  • 1/4 cup melted Butter
  • 3/4 cup Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Cinnamon Swirl:

  • 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Ground Toffee Chai
  • 3 tbsp Butter

For the Glaze:

  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla
  • 2 tbsp Brewed Toffee Chai

Let’s Put it Together!

FOR THE MUFFINS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put 1tbps of tea in a mini processor to make the tea leaves into a fine powder. Set aside. 
  2. Line a muffin tin and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the egg and sugar well. Add in the flour, baking powder, Toffee Chai Powder, melted butter, milk, and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the Toffee Chai and brown sugar. Heat the mixture until it is the consistency of a thick liquid. Use a spoon or piping tool to swirl the sauce in. (I turned my back and it became a little separated. If this happens, do not worry. Instead, put little drops into the muffin dough and swirl it around to spread the sugary-spiced mix.)
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

FOR THE GLAZE:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth. I recommend putting the powdered sugar through a sifter and add powdered sugar as needed until a medium thickness consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the muffins.

I loved this recipe. I had a few fails, but it did end really well. My family has been enjoying them, especially my brother and I who both had three the first day. Hope you enjoy as well! Happy Brewing!

-Danielle

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