I discovered Chai tea a couple of years ago and although I do love the warm spices of cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger that flavor the tea, I found the tea a little too “milky” for my taste. When you drink strong coffee every day, tea with milk just comes across as a bit too tame.

I prefer to make my own Chai concentrate at home so that I can control the strength of the tea and the balance of tea to warm milk. I was able to resolve this problem a few months ago when I was in my local coffee shop and heard someone order a Dirty Chai Latte. Curious about the sound of this, I asked the barista about it, and I was excited to find out that the drink is an essential Chai Latte with a shot (or two) of espresso.

As strange as it may sound, the addition of a little bit of espresso resolved my problem with getting a too milky drink as the espresso adds a subtle coffee flavor without overpowering the warm spices used. I now have a new favorite hot drink!

I bought my first package of Bob’s Red Mill Chai Protein powder about six months ago and I now use it daily in my morning smoothies, and in our overnight oats. It has now become a “must have” staple in our house. I also have started including it in some of my baking to add flavor as well as protein.

I made a couple of batches of Chai Muffins in the past few months, and after experimenting with ingredients to make these muffins healthier, I ended up with a very moist, not too sweet treat that both my husband and I love.

Recently after discovering Dirty Chai Lattes, I decided to add some espresso powder to my batter and it was delicious. The muffins now taste like my favorite drink, flavored with warm spices, with a very subtle background of coffee. To naturally sweeten these muffins, I used raw honey in my batter along with mashed bananas.

The bananas also help create a very moist final product along with just a little bit coconut oil. The addition of the Chai Protein powder adds protein, and I use spelt flour in place of white flour for added nutrition. These muffins are full of flavor and incredibly moist.

They also freeze well, so feel free to bake a double batch and freeze half of them. I used a combination of chopped walnuts along with a seed blend I love from Trader Joe’s, but you can just use the nuts, or even keep the muffins plain if you prefer.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

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Dirty Chai Banana Muffins

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Very moist healthier banana muffins flavored with warm Chai spices.

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Ingredients

• 4 Very Ripe Bananas Mashed
• 1/4 Cup Honey
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1 Large Egg At Room Temperature
• 3 Heaping Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Chai Protein Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Espresso Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cardamon
• 1 2/3 Cups Spelt Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Topping: (Optional)

• 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with papers, or spray with baking spray.
3. In one medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer and beat together the bananas, honey, extract, coconut oil, and egg until blended.
4. In another bowl, stir together the protein powder, flour, salt, and baking soda.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and use a wooden spoon and stir just until mixed.
6. Fill the muffin tin 3/4 full of the batter, then sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
7. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a center muffin comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool 5 minutes then enjoy!

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