I don’t eat a lot of muffins. I mean, I’ve never met a baked good I don’t like, but a muffin isn’t what I generally grab. I usually find them to be glorified cupcakes without the frosting, and really, why would you want a cupcake with no frosting???
Well, these muffins do not taste like a cupcake, and I love that. They taste like everything you could ever want in a breakfast: spicy chai, sweet vanilla and, of course, carbs. Yes, carbs have a taste. I would describe it as “amazing” or “perfection”.
I have a secret. These actually started out as cupcakes. You see, that’s much more my style, but as I frosted them with a sugary glaze, I just wasn’t in love. These flavors are bold, and the “cupcake” came out so perfectly soft and moist that I didn’t want to hide it. So I tried again. I took away some excess sugar, cut the frosting, and I discovered that muffins can actually be pretty spectacular.
They would pair perfectly with your breakfast protein of choice, or smeared with peanut butter as an afternoon snack, or dusted with some cinnamon and powdered sugar for dessert. They are incredibly versatile and at 89 calories a pop, why not enjoy??
You may have noticed my untraditional “buttermilk”. Well, it’s not only to make the recipe vegan (added bonus!), but honestly, every time I seem to buy buttermilk, it just sits in my fridge and then goes bad. Instead, I used a cup of Silk Pure Almond Vanilla with 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar. In addition to keeping the muffins vegan, using the Silk saved an extra 5 calories per muffin opposed to making homemade buttermilk with skim milk. Now, 5 may seem like nothing, but as my tagline says, I truly believe that “Little changes make a big difference”, and I promise that after you’ve gone through the entire batch (trust me, it’s inevitable), those 5 calories will add up!
Chai Spiced Vanilla Bean “Buttermilk” Muffins
Yield 1 dozen
- 1 1/4 cup Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbs cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 vanilla bean
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Measure out almond milk and add apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugar and applesauce. Scrape out the center of vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Beat until combined. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the sugar and apple sauce mixture in 3 additions beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly between lines muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential LLC. All opinions are my own. To learn more about Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened on Facebook and Twitter.
Yum! I love your buttermilk trick- I used to use the vinegar in regular milk, too. Never thought about adding it to almond milk for the same effect!
Thanks Laura–I first discovered it when making a red velvet cake years ago before I switched to almond milk, so I figured I’ve give it a shot, and it worked great in these! I love having a vegan option for when I’m baking for other people since so many people don’t do dairy these days.
I use that buttermilk sub all the time – it’s very effective and way better than real buttermilk as far as nutrition goes. And love all the chai seasonings and the suggestion to coat with peanut butter. Sounds like a fabulous treat and not really even a splurge in calories at all!
Thanks Heather! I feel like chai spices just automatically make things better, and make me feel all cozy and comforted!
YUM! I would have never thought to do chai spiced muffins. Love how versatile Silk is too.
Thanks Tina! I’ve totally been on a chai kick lately, and it never seems to disappoint!
OMG these look amazing! I love the flavor of chai and never would have thought to make muffins. Can’t wait to try this.
Christine, you are always the sweetest! Thank you so much
Oh those do look good! Maybe I’ll bake tomorrow….
Looks delicious and I love all the spices you added. Cute cupcake…..I mean muffin liners!
Thanks!! I actually bought them special for this recipe haha, so I’m glad you noticed them
” glorified cupcakes without the frosting, and really, why would you want a cupcake with no frosting???” — amen!
Of all the desserts & breads and recipes on my site, muffins are most notably lacking b/c I find them boring and they’re the best of NO worlds. At least with a cupcake you get frosting
But these look and sound awesome and I love chai. I have a chai recipe next week. These look like a perfect muffin and that you kept them vegan and whole wheat no less
Thanks Averie! I can’t wait to see your chai recipe this week!
Yum, these look so delicious! Give me one of these for breakfast and I’ll be a happy girl. Love the buttermilk trick, and at only 89 calories a pop…I need to make these.
Thanks Rachel! The diy buttermilk has been a life saver for me–so many times I want to make a recipe, but buttermilk goes bad so quickly that I never keep it on hand. I love being able to make it from ingredients I always have around
I have been daydreaming about chai baked goods for ages and just picked up a massive bag of chai spices from Spice House here in Chicago. I am making these ASAP! (And so excited that you use almond milk – I switched about 6 months ago and have never looked back!)
Just found your blog and I am so durn excited! Thank you!
I love almond milk! I eat dairy, but never buy regular milk anymore. Also, a massive bag of chai spice??? Yes, please! Thanks so much Cara!!