Gratitude

Chai Latte Cupcakes.

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 recipe, so I didn't focus on a photo-shoot. Sorry about that! I made them for a dear friend's baby shower. They 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 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 as much as we did!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Sommer

Chai Latte Cupcakes

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup instant chai powder
¼ tsp. cardamom (optional)
2 eggs
½ 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 frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. cinnamon
3 Tb. milk
¾ tsp. vanilla

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 the cupcakes and ENJOY!

Make 12 regular or 48 mini cupcakes!