Saturday, September 1, 2012

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

Autumn is just around the corner. It's by far my favorite season: vibrant colors, crisp weather, sweaters, hay rides, apple picking, bonfires. Everything about fall is magnificent. And these cupcakes (from the Happy Herbivore Cookbook) are the perfect fall treat. They're best eaten over a cup of coffee and a game of cards with friends.


1 c vanilla non-dairy milk (I use Almond Breeze)
3 chai teabags
1/4 c applesauce
1/2 c raw sugar (I think I'll try subbing honey next time!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom (I didn't have any, so I used nutmeg instead)
Vanilla Icing (see below)
  1. Gently warm non-dairy milk on the stove, careful not to scald it. If you don't have vanilla flavored milk on hand, simply add a few drops of vanilla extract for the same effect. Once it's at a near boil, turn off heat, add teabags, and steep for 4-6 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin or spray paper liners with cooking spray, then set aside.
  3. Once milk is cool, remove tea bags and mix with applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices together.
  5. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture in 3 to 4 batches, stirring until combined.
  6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 15 to 25 minutes. 
  7. Remove cupcakes from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Once completely cool, add icing and sprinkle with cinnamon.
For Vanilla Icing
1 c confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Stir ingredients together to combine.
  2. Add more sugar to thicken the icing or more non-dairy milk to thin it out. Ideally, you want the consistency to be a paste-like glaze. 
  3. Slather icing onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

5 comments:

  1. these look AMAZING. will use dairy milk though... do you think it'll turn out the same?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah for sure! I imagine it's just for the "liquid" factor to keep them moist. So I'm sure it'll be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love when you post the latest recipe you've tried! I just took a bite of the batch I baked...deee-licious!!! I made a mini muffin version for Eden's lunch. I also appreciated your vegan version of icing. The consistency was great. I love healthy baking! I don't feel the guilt as I'm eating it:).

    ReplyDelete

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