When you blog for a while, people start wanting to send you stuff for you to write about. As great as that sounds, it gets a little overwhelming when you are an honest kind of gal who wants to give everyone a shout out, but doesn’t want to turn her sacred space into one giant ad.
So a lot of times, I end up saying, “Hey, thanks for wanting to send me your cookbook/food product/kitchen gadget/recipe idea/fill-in-the-blank! It’s so nice of you to think of me. I’m happy to share a picture of it on social media {if it’s something I like and would actually use}, but I can’t pay my bills with artisan crackers so I’m can’t promise that I’ll have time to write a whole post singing your product’s praises.”
Ok, maybe I don’t say it exactly like that, but that’s essentially the message that I send back. And then we might talk a little bit about working together in a business sense, which is when you’ll see me mention that a post is “sponsored”. {So, THAT’S what that means!}
But every once in a while {though less and less lately because, hello, baby’s college fund}, I get an email and I’m like, “Heck yeah, send your chocolate/wine/cheese/awesome little-known fancy condiments right on over!” Then I try really, really hard to highlight the product in a post or use it in a recipe so that no on thinks I’m ungrateful or sneaky, trying to bum delicious things off of generous companies who are trying to promote their products. No one likes a mooch.
It’s a fine line to keep this whole blog business both genuine and profitable!
Anyway, I get so much stuff in the mail that my mailman and UPS delivery guys probably think I have a major food hoarding problem. One day I’ll have to invite them all in for a feast made out of all the products they’ve delivered to my door so they can see for themselves what’s going on.
But yeah, from time to time someone sends something for you to check out and it gets lost in the shuffle. And then you’re cleaning out your pantry one day and you go, “Whoa, this looks like a fancy little tin of chai tea that I probably wouldn’t buy for myself, where the heck did it come from??” And then you remember and you feel bad for not doing what you said your were going to do {back in February! eek.} because you’ve been busy writing and cooking and raising a baby and having a life and keeping your head above water most days. Sigh.
I’m really glad I found this tin of Palais des Thes Chai Imperial because it is a perfect transitional flavor between the pumpkin spice season we’re leaving and the turkey/apple/peppermint season we’re entering. Really, it’s a flavor you can enjoy all year long, but it’s such a nice, cozy blend of aromatic ingredients that I think it’s most appreciated when it’s a little chilly out. {Not that it is here, but you know what I mean.}
Since we are nowhere near sweater weather in these parts, I decided to bake the flavors of chai tea into a brownie. Because I can get down with brownie-eating no matter what the temp is outside.
Chocolate and chai go together swimmingly with the warm, spicy notes of cardamom, pink peppercorn and ginger balancing the sweetness of the chocolate. If brownies and warm spices don’t sound like pure comfort, then I don’t know what does!
Phew! I feel way better now that this little tin of chai goodness has been unearthed from the depths of my pantry and had its day in the sun. Having a pan full of brownies is a nice perk, too! 😉
Disclosure: I received Palais des Thes Chai Imperial to try for this post. As always, all opinions here are my own.
Chai Spiced Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk divided {I used almond milk}
- 3 tablespoons Palais des Thes Chai Imperial loose tea
- 1/2 cup {8 tablespoons} butter melted
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and 8x8 inch baking pan* by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with foil for easy removal.
- In a small saucepan {or in a microwave safe cup}, heat milk until steaming. Add loose Chai Imperial and allow to steep for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs until fully combined.
- Using a strainer, pour milk/tea mixture into a small cup or bowl, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible-- discard tea solids. Whisk 1/4 cup of tea mixture into the wet ingredients. Set remaining 1/4 cup aside for use in glaze.
- In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined and no dry spots are left. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
Notes
Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup remaining chai spiced milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add chai spiced milk and vanilla extract.
- Beat in confectioners sugar until smooth.
- Quickly pour glaze over cooled brownies and allow to set, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve brownies.
These brownies sound marvelous! I've never had Chai brownies before.
I'm really torn too about getting free stuff mailed to me. Sometimes I get too busy to do anything with it and the guilt sets in. But it is fun to try new things. 🙂
@Christin – Thank you! Yes, getting those free goodies most definitely has its pros & cons. I think as long as the expectations are set from the very beginning and both parties know what's going on, it's ok to accept them. This blogging thing can get complicated, right?! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂