Vanilla Chai Donuts

These are the best things ever! I'm a huge fan of chai tea (yes, I do know that chair means "tea" but until someone renames that particular blend of tea, I will keep calling it chai) and when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them. Besides, I had a donut pan that needed using. These smelled amazing and tasted just as good as they smelled. The recipe offered two options for coating the donuts: a sugary coating that I didn't do and a chai glaze that I did do.  

Original recipe here:  https://www.thechunkychef.com/baked-homemade-vanilla-chai-donuts/

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup strong brewed chai tea cooled
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 large egg
CINNAMON SUGAR COATING:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
OPTIONAL CHAI GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp to 2 strong brewed chai tea

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray (I use Baker's Joy). Set aside.
2. Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon in a shallow baking dish, bowl, or paper bag. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt) and whisk.
4. In another large mixing bowl, beat the chai tea, vegetable oil, vanilla bean paste, and egg until combined. I use a hand mixer for this.
5. Add dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
6. Pour batter into a pastry bag or large ziploc bag, snip off the tip, and fill donut molds of the pan about 2/3 full.
7. Bake donuts 10-12 minutes, or until the spring back when lightly touched.
8. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes.
9. Invert pan over a cooling rack to remove donuts, dip them in melted butter, then toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
10. Return to cooling rack to finish cooling.
11. If making the glaze, add powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and add tea, whisking to make a thick, yet pourable glaze.
12. Drizzle over donuts, or serve in a small bowl for dipping.