Pistachio-Chai Muffins

Pistachios and Chai are such a wonderful combination of flavors.  I just purchased a new Cooking Light cookbook and I knew this would be the first recipe I needed to make from it.  So delicious served warmed!  Enjoy with a hot cup of Chai for the "total Chai experience".

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (my addition)
1/2 tsp ginger (my addition)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (my addition)
2 Chai blend tea bags, opened (I used 3 tea bags)
1 cup low-fat butter milk (if you don't have buttermilk, you may add 1 TBS lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for several minutes)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking Spray
1/3 cup shelled salted dry-roasted pistachios, chopped (I used about 100 nuts...yup,100)

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBS water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a large bowl.  Stirring with a whisk.  Cut open the tea bags and add to the flour mixture, stirring well.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.  Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, water and vanilla, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle evenly over muffins. 

Serves 12

Source:  Cooking Light: The Food Lover's Healthy Habits Cookbook

Janice