🎄MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄
As we settle in this holiday season, I wonder,
Just a thought to ponder,
What do we love about Christmas;
Does our delight reside in things?
A smile cuz of what is under the tree
Is that what'll bring happiness to me ?
Or are the feelings in our hearts
The real gift Christmas brings.
It's seeing those we love,
Even if its over zoom
That fills warmth and joy in our room
And sending Christmas cards, too,
Appreciating people who bring us joy
Special people just like you.
Poem By Joanna Fuchs, modified and edited by Sargam
This week we are bringing you a tea'vine recipe for Cardamom Christmas Chai Cookies made using our Rose Cardamom Black Tea Blend aka Astrakadir ; since it's Christmas Day, we wanted to share a scrumptious festive delicacy sure to brighten spirits.
All our blends are Gluten-Free; Fat-Free; All Natural; and The Chai Bar is a Women-owned small business.
Since it is the season of giving, we wanted to share a special side note with you guys today. Not only The Chai Bar but also the farms from where we source our tea leaves emphasize on giving back. The laborers who work on these farms get benefits such as a subsidized education for their children, and sometimes they are gifted a cow so as to make them self-sustainable. A cow is considered a source of wealth as it provides milk for use and sale.
The tea estates take utmost care to be environmentally conscious, all while giving us the best-flavored tea leaves prepared in a special way to ensure they taste tealicious.
While we were wondering about Christmas favorites, we decided to re-visit one of our favorite concepts here at The Chai Bar Kitchen.
Madura has taken inspiration from every corner of India to create an ensemble of distinct drinks, making the traditional innovative.
At The Chai Bar, we endeavor to bring to the American lifestyle this wonderful experience called Chai in its most authentic form. We are always trying to make flavorful fusions of traditional Indian flavors with rustic western cooking.
While playing around with the recipe, we decided to infuse buttery dough with Chai. The leaves add texture and flavor to giving the cookie a kick of cardamom and mild tail-notes of Chai.
TEA'P : Store this cookie dough for two days or at least refrigerate overnight before baking. Quite similar to tea, the longer you let the flavor develop in the dough before baking, the deeper the flavor profile of the cookie.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tbsp Astrakadir (Rose Cardamom Black Tea Blend)
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar (can be rose-infused)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 cardamom spice pods
- 1 pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix dry ingredients and add the tea blend to the dry ingredients.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, and milk.
- Mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
- For cut cookies, roll out to 1/8 inch thick and cut into shapes.
- Bake on parchment-lined baking pans at 375°F for 7 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
We hope you enjoy these tealicious festive treats all the way into 2021.
Speaking of 2021, this is our last blog for the year! Wow, it has been wonderful to share our love for Chai with you. Thank you for joining us for the love of Chai.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The stockings are hung, and you're filled with wonder.
There are so many surprises Greenland to down under.
So sip on some chai and have plenty to eat:
Baked ham, pie, gravy and lots of sweets.
Online get togethers family, Friends and neighbors, too.
So, Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you.
The Chai Bar Brew Crew,
Sargam & Madura.