chai tea shortbread

 

so the weather this past long weekend felt very (dare i say it).. FALL. it made me SO happy, sorry summer lovers! i know we aren't even halfway into august yet but i can't help but be excited for my favourite season to arrive next month. because this weekend gave me a little touch of fall outdoors (i even wore a knit sweater), i decided to bring fall indoors too! these cookies taste and smell like everything you love about fall. to get a very strong chai tea flavour i used lorann oils amazing new chai tea flavouring! a little goes a long way as it is VERY concentrated. it has a blend of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon & vanilla. a.k.a the cozy flavours that make up fall! these will warm you from the inside out. while i thought cookies would be the perfect place to start with the chai tea flavouring, i think frosting will have to be next! chai tea latte buttercream anyone?!

ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon lorann oils chai tea flavouring
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons water (optional)
  • 1/2 cup quality white chocolate, melted

directions

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter & brown sugar until combined.
  • add in chai tea flavouring & vanilla extract.
  • sift in the flour & sea salt. beat until dough comes together.
  • if dough is crumbly, add the water one tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.
  • turn dough onto a floured surface & shape into a disk. wrap in cling wrap & refrigerate for one hour.
  • once dough has chilled, roll out on a heavily floured surface to ¼ inch thick. use desired cookie cutter to create the cookie shape.
  • bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the edges JUST begin to brown. let cool to room temperature.
  • drizzle with melted white chocolate & pop in the freezer for 60 seconds so the chocolate fully hardens.
  • serve with a freshly brewed cup of chai tea!

this post was created in partnership with lorann oils! i am seriously *obsessed* with the new chai tea flavouring. fall is going to get even more cozier now!

chai tea latte cupcakes

 

this is my first post for fall & i don't think there is any going back. i know we technically still have a few weeks left of summer, but as soon as september nears i bust out all the apples + pumpkins. i thought i was going to ease into the flavours of fall but instead i decided to go all out & create this chai latte cupcake! however, on NOM this week i made a pumpkin + pineapple bundt cake as an "end of summer, beginning of fall" inspired treat. but back to these cupcakes!

they literally taste like a chai tea latte in a cupcake form, which in a way means it is better then an actual latte because cake always wins. the base of the cupcake is infused with stash tea's double spice chai black tea & sweetened with a dark brown sugar. the double spice chai black tea packs SO much flavour, just opening the bag made the whole room smell delicious. for the frosting, i went with a light version of a buttercream to act as the whipped cream on a latte. i did a classic style american vanilla buttercream, but at the end added in a touch of whipping cream to lighten up the texture. i let justin take some of the left over cupcakes to work this week & they were gone before nine (am). what does that tell you? happy baking!

ingredients

for the chai cupcake cake

  • 2 teaspoon stash loose leaf double spice chai black tea
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon

for the whipped buttercream frosting

  • 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3-4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup whipping cream, cold
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dusting

directions

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • in a saucepan over low heat add the milk & loose leaf tea. let simmer for five minutes to infuse the tea into the milk. do not let the mixture come to a boil. remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. strain out tea.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
  • add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. beat until light and fluffy.
  • in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves & cardamon. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
  • once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the infused milk & beat until batter is smooth.
  • evenly distribute batter amongst lined cupcake tins.
  • bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops bounce back to touch.
  • while the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
  • in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, icing sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • add the whipping cream & beat for an additional minute.
  • fill piping bag with frosting & pipe as desired. sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon & voila!

this post was created in partnership with stash tea! you can find the double spice chai black tea i used here. they make the best flavours of tea to bake with. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce running xo

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