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.
Ok sorry, this is my third comment today (i'm catching up on your blog).
ReplyDeleteYou haven't lived until you try the chai at Teaism. I'm serious... i want that stuff hoooked up to my veins. it is so good.
Also, Open City has a chai tea waffle that is yummmm
ReplyDelete@Genie Ko: Ooh thanks for the recommendations! I've been trying to get to Teaism and now I have an excuse
ReplyDelete