Here in Colorado, at the Cusa Tea world headquarters, it's hard to miss the signs of fall. The temperature has begun to drop for the first time after an unusually hot summer, and the leaves are changing colors so fast it sometimes feels like you'll miss them if you blink. It's the time of year when locals and tourists drive through the mountains to catch the most picturesque views of fall foliage, especially through aspen glens, their bright yellow leaves making their presence known in one last hurrah before withering up for the winter.
It's also the time of year when we start hearing about and seeing pumpkin spice everywhere - to the dread or delight of some. While we don't doubt the yumminess of a good pumpkin spice anything, we'd like to present our own fall spice offering. Our newest flavor, Spicy Chai Premium Instant Tea, is so much more than a tea powder.
Cusa Tea's innovative Cold Steep Technology is so gentle, the full aroma, flavor and antioxidants of tea are retained. When it comes to our Chai, which is a well-crafted blend of Organic Black Tea, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Clove and Black Pepper, the bite and body of its spices remains intact. That translates to a spicy and soothing ginger tickle in the back of the throat, and reminders of holiday time in the essence of clove.
Even better, we don't include any preservatives, sugars or dairy in our teas, meaning you get a versatile, clean spicy chai blend you can use to create a foundation to just about any drink or recipe you can imagine. Our tea powder can also be crafted into cocktails, swirled with froth for a spicy latte, and baked into food - all while retaining the full spice and flavor of Chai Tea.
To get in the mood for fall food, we did a little experimenting and came up with recipe below. Let us know what you think!
Yield: 16-22 muffins
Ingredients
MUFFINS
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 10 Servings of Cusa Tea Spicy Chai
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups applesauce
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup olive oil
- muffin cups
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature or slightly warmed up
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Make the muffin batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Cusa Tea, baking soda, and salt with a fork.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Mix with a fork, then gradually incorporate the dry ingredients until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and smooth.
- Place muffin cups in pan or grease pan
- Scoop about ¼ cup (30 g) of muffin batter into each cup. Add a teaspoon of cheesecake filling to the center of each cup. Use a toothpick to swirl the cheesecake into the batter.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until the muffins are springy and lightly browned around the edges.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
