Reading the tea leaves

I am officially a chai fiend. Lately, I just cannot get enough of that sweet/spicy mix of cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and vanilla in my tea. I think that chai is one of those things that a person either loves or hates. I know that I am a “lover” because I can even stomach the Starbucks variety which tastes, basically, as if Christmas has exploded in your mouth. Sipping possibly my fourth cup of the day, I started to wonder if there was a way to effectively steep these chai flavors into a baked good without it coming out tasting essentially like gingerbread. After a bit of research I also came to find out, lo and behold, that January is National Hot Tea Month! Holy tea leaves, Batman! And, while I would just about die for a chai latte cupcake, I figured it’s about time to lay off of the cupcake posts for now and branch out a little. So, I give you: Chai Spice Biscotti, courtesy of MyRecipes.com (from Cooking Light, November 2000). Enjoy the last week of Hot Tea Month!

Chai Spice Biscotti

Makes 2 ½ dozen

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon loose Chai spice tea or orange spice tea (about 3 tea bags)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice
• 3 large eggs
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through allspice) in a large bowl. Combine the oil, liqueur, and eggs, and add to the flour mixture, stirring until well-blended (the dough will be dry and crumbly). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 7 or 8 times. Divide the dough in half. Shape each portion into an 8-inch-long roll. Place rolls 6 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; flatten each roll to 1-inch thickness.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove the rolls from baking sheet; cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 15 (1/2-inch) slices. Place the slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°; bake 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 10 minutes (the cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Tweet

Pin It