I have a lot the be thankful for. No, I’m not a prodigy in any area. I’m not famous. I don’t drive a Bentley or have spare homes in exotic lands. I’m not dripping with jewels and my closet is surprisingly small. There are mornings I wake up and sigh at the potential monotony of life. There are days I argue with my husband on purpose. I get impatient with my little guys at times. I’m a regular girl/wife/mom with regular problems.
Yet I look around me every day and drink in thankfulness. With every breath, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for all of life’s experiences, high and low.
There are moments in life that seem so painful, it’s a wonder you make it through…but you do. You DO make it through and you can be thankful for that! It’s amazing how you start to notice all the little things you should have always been thankful for, when bigger distractions are out the way.
I’m thankful for sunshine. I’m thankful for the aroma of freshly baked bread. I’m thankful for butterfly kisses and homemade gifts made of yarn and twigs. I am thankful my husband and I still look at each other the way we did 15 years ago.
In fact, thankfulness itself, is something to be thankful for. Gratitude is the oar the keeps your raft in delicate balance on the raging river of life.
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. ~Oprah Winfrey
Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting. ~Author Unknown
I wasn’t planning to post this chai latte cupcake recipe, so I didn’t focus on a photo-shoot. Sorry about that! I made them for a dear friend’s baby shower. These cupcakes had such rave reviews, I thought I better share them with plenty of time for your December gatherings!
I opted to use ‘instant chai powder’ in the batter, instead of combining all the spice myself, because I felt that flavor would benefit from the dehydrated milk added to the powder. It gave the cupcakes the creamy quality of good chai. This chai latte cupcake recipe was a rare first-attempt success. The flavor was spot-on, after I added a touch of cardamom for extra kick. I hope you enjoy these chai cupcakes as much as we did!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Recipe: Chai Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 2/3 cup instant chai powder
- ¼ tsp. cardamom (optional)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour (They don’t make a measuring cup for that!)
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- For the cupcakes:
For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- 3 Tb. milk
- ¾ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 large or 48 mini cupcake cups with paper liners.
- Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Then add the chai powder and extra cardamom if desired.
- Mix in the eggs, milk, and vanilla.
- Mix the baking powder and salt with the flour and add to the wet mixture a little at a time.
- Fill the liners 2/3 of the way full and bake. 10 minutes for minis, and 15-20 for regular cupcakes.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, cream the butter and sugar together for the frosting. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. If the frosting is too soft add ½ cup more powdered sugar.
- Pipe the frosting on each cupcake and ENJOY!
Preparation time: 30 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 12 regular, 48 minis
What a wonderful post…and I love the quotes you have chosen.
Beautiful as are you lovely cupcakes
Those are adorable cupcakes, and I can almost taste the spice in them. It's making my mouth water!
Your post really made me smile and I enjoyed reading all of the things you are thankful for. I took a few minutes to reflect on my life and I am thankful for a lot too. Thank you for reminding me to remember that.
Cupcakes and Chai, two of my favoritie things. Oh my gosh, do I really want to make these. I don’t have an electric mixer… do you think it will work if I do it by hand? I’m also out of regular flour but I have whole wheat–would that work?
Thank you for your cupcake inspiration!
Just got a stumble on these beauties from Thanksgiving! Love chai & cupcakes
Oh, what lovely thoughts you’ve shared today….and lovely cupcakes as well~
1/2 milk…. uuummm, 1/2 cup?? Surprised no one has caught this yet. lol. These look amazing and I will make them later this week, I have decided
Thanks Rebecca–got it!
I stumbled across your recipe while looking for a pistachio cupcake recipe. I LOVE chai lattes and will definitely be making these. Thanks for the idea!
what tip did you use for the frostig? i’ve been looking for awhile!
Oh my god! I just made these, and they are the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted! Thank you!!!