Creamy Chai Spiced Overnight Oats

Servings: 1
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Easy recipe to make Chai Spiced Overnight Oats that are creamy and delicious.

`Ingredients`

1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 1/2 teaspoons Chia Seeds
3/4 teaspoon Chai Spice
1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/4 cup Non-fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 packet of Splenda
pinch Kosher Salt



If you choose to skip the step to grind the oats, chia seeds and spices, just place all ingredients in the bowl and reduce the amount of Unsweetened Almond Milk to 1/4 Cup.



Directions
Add the Oats, Chia Seeds and Chai Spice to spice grinder.  Pulse 12 times.
Transfer oat mixture to a small mixing bowl.
Add Unsweetened Almond Milk, Non-fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt, Apple Cider Vinegar, Splenda and Salt.
Stir until all ingredients are combined.
Transfer to a storage container and place in the fridge to chill overnight.
Top with your toppings of choice.  I recommend a thin layer of yogurt and low sugar fruit preserves.

Chai Spice

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If you love Chai Spice, try this recipe to mix Chai Spice at home. Add this flavorful spice mixture to add to tea, cocoa, oatmeal and baked goods. Make it for yourself or give it to a friend as a thoughtful holiday gift.

Enjoy!

Chai Spice

Servings: 10
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Easy recipe to mix Chai Spice at home for baked goods or to give someone as a gift.

`Ingredients`

4 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
4 teaspoons Ground Cardamom
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
2 teaspoons Ground Cloves
2 teaspoons Ground Nutmeg

 Directions
Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until all ingredients are combined.
Transfer to an air-tight jar.

Amazing Marble Cupcakes {with a twist…of course}

Amazing Marble Cupcakes

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
8 oz. Pepsi
4 oz. Maraschino Cherry Juice
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Maraschino Cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line 2 cupcake pans with liners and set aside.
Add cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, Pepsi, maraschino cherry juice, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
Beat on low for 30 seconds then beat on med-high for 2-3 minutes.

Pour 1/3 of cake batter to a small mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder and mix well with a rubber spatula.
Divide the non-chocolate cake batter evenly between the 24 cupcake liners.

Divide and dollop the chocolate batter evenly between the 24 cupcake liners.

Using the dull end of a wooden skewer, marble the batter.

Bake for 17-20 minutes.
Cool completely then frost with your favorite buttercream frosting and top with a maraschino cherry.

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Toffee Cracker Candy

June 2, 2012June 27, 20121 Comment

I have thought about making this for a while. This recipe is not only easy, it is very rich and flavorful. My colleagues at work loved it…so I guess I need to make it again real soon!

My favorite thing about this recipe s that it is perfect for those last-minute “make & take” events because you can have the ingredients in your pantry….

Enjoy! Denise

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Toffee Cracker Candy

4 oz. Saltine Crackers (1/4 of avg. size box)
1 stick of Butter
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Powder (or extract)
2 teaspoons Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, divided
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Candies, Sprinkles, or Nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with shortening.
Place the Saltines in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet; set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the dark brown sugar, butter along with 1 teaspoon of the pink salt, cinnamon and vanilla powder over medium heat.

Bring to a boil while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil for 3 minutes.

Carefully pour the mixture over the crackers. Use a metal spatula to spread the mixture evenly onto all the crackers.

Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 7 minutes (toffee will bubbly).
Transfer cookie sheet to a safe surface.
Pour the chocolate chips over the toffee; set aside until chocolate chips soften and look glossy.

Use a metal spatula or scraper to smooth out the chocolate chips evenly to cover the toffee layer.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of pink salt over the chocolate layer.

Sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Cut or break into bite-size pieces.

Putting A Twist on Tradition – Polish Easter Bread Rolls

April 6, 2012April 22, 2012Leave a comment

It’s that time of year.. Spring is in full bloom and the Easter celebrations are in full force.

Even with the hustle and bustle of the “everyday” routine, making time to maintain traditions is really important to my family.

Making Polish Easter Bread is a family favorite. It’s an all day event because we make several batches.

Last year I posted my take on the “family recipe”, “Embracing In-Law Family Traditions = Polish Easter Bread” .

This year I decided to put a twist on tradition and make Polish Easter Bread Rolls. They were so cute….I wish I had thought of this sooner!

Enjoy!

Denise

Polish Easter Bread Rolls

1 Batch of Polish Easter Bread Dough

Follow instructions for the making the bread with the following exceptions:

Spray cupcake pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
Follow instructions for Polish Easter Bread Recipe.
Instead of dividing dough into 6 mini-loaves, divide into 48 rolls.
Place rolls into the cupcake pans for the second rise.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spiced Hibiscus Granita {Spiked}

March 14, 2012April 22, 2012Leave a comment

On the weekends, my husband and I like to take time to watch a movie together. This past weekend I made a dessert cocktail for our “movie time”.

Granita is easy to make and the variations are only limited by your imagination. Be sure to check out some suggested flavor combinations at the end of the recipe.

Enjoy!

Denise

Spiced Hibiscus Granita {Spiked}

1-1/2 cups Water
1 two-inch Cinnamon Stick
3 Red Zinger Tea Bags
pinch of Salt
1/8 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1 cup Vodka
3-4 tablespoons Lemon Juice
3-4 tablespoons Vanilla Agave Syrup or Honey

Add water and cinnamon stick to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Remove pot from heat and add tea bags, cardamom and tiny pinch of salt to the boiling water.
Cover and let steep for five minutes.
Meanwhile, add the vodka, agave syrup and lemon juice to a bowl. Stir to combine.
When tea is done steeping, remove tea bags and cinnamon stick.
Add tea to the bowl. Stir to combine.

Transfer tea mixture to a 8×8 baking pan.

Place in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Scrape with a fork every hour to break up the ice crystals.

Serve straight up (or add ice cream/fresh fruit).

Variations

Coffee & Kahlua & Cardamom
Lemon Zinger Tea & Vodka & Basil
Diet Coke & Captain Morgan & Cinnamon (Note: Just use 2 cans of soda … do not warm the soda!)

Click the Image to Print “Just The Recipe”!

Coo Coo for Caribbean Cocoa Bean Muffins

September 3, 2011September 4, 20113 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the grocery store at lunch time. A chocolate display caught my eye….in particular.. ground cocoa beans. I’ve been reading recently about the health benefits of cocoa beans.

They are very tasty…not as bitter as I expected them to be….and the flavor seemed to linger. Pure chocolate flavor at its best without added sugar….

Hmmm…Creative Cooking Opportunity…

The Versatile Vanilla series was so much fun. Chocolate is next !

Below is my recipe that is inspired by Caribbean flavors…chocolate, bananas, coconut, rum and spices.

Enjoy!

Denise

Caribbean Cocoa Bean Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 Bananas (very ripe)

1/2 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut

3/4 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon Rum extract

1/2 teaspoon Coconut extract

1/3 cup Ground Cocoa Beans

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin and set aside.
In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, add oil, eggs, bananas, coconut, sugar, rum extract and coconut extract. Use a mixer to blend ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix well.

Stir in the ground cocoa beans.

Divide batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes (until cake test comes out clean).
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Gypsy Spiced Chocolate Flan Cake Preparation

Gypsy Spiced Chocolate Flan Cake (aka Torta Imposible)

August 25, 2011September 4, 20118 Comments

Chocolate Flan Cake (Torta Imposible or “impossible cake”) is a decadent, layered dessert with Chocolate Cake on the bottom and Flan on the top.

You are probably wondering why they describe it as “impossible”….

Well, when the cake pan goes into the oven, the flan ingredients are on the top and the cake batter is on the bottom.

Then two hours later, when the dessert comes out of the oven, the cake is on the top and the flan is on the bottom.

My favorite step is to invert the cake pan onto a platter. It is definitely a “TADA” moment. The caramel runs all over both the Chocolate Cake and Flan layers. It is very hard not to slice it right there and then. But do let it refrigerate and the flavors will marry even more because as Chocolate Flan Cake refrigerates, the chocolate cake absorbs the caramel like a sponge.

I like to think that nothing is impossible and had to master this recipe after reading about it several years ago. It has since become a family favorite.

Below is the recipe…

Enjoy!

Denise

Gypsy Spiced Chocolate Flan Cake

12 Servings

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

1 (18 oz.) box Butter Fudge Cake Mix
3/4 cup Water
3 eggs
1 stick Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom

Flan Ingredients

8-12 oz Caramel Sauce (depending on how gooey you like it)
1(14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1(12 oz.) can Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup fresh Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 Vanilla Bean
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large bundt pan with nonstick spray. Pour caramel sauce into prepare pan. Set aside.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions (adding cinnamon and cardamom).

Pour cake batter into cake pan (over the caramel). Tip: I typically only fill my cake pan a little more than 1/2 way. Then make cupcakes with the rest of the batter (or leave more batter for the kids to have fun with. 🙂 )

Pour condensed, evaporated and fresh milks into a blender. Split and scrape the vanilla bean. Add the tiny vanilla beans to the blender along with the cream cheese and the cardamom. Mix well.

Pour flan mixture very slowly (with a ladle) over the cake batter.

Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray. Cover bundt pan very tightly with the aluminum foil. Set the bundt pan into a large pan and set on the oven rack. Carefully pour hot water into the larger pan to a depth of 2 inches.

Bake for 2 hours. Note: Do Not Take the Aluminum Cover Off During Baking Process.

Cool for 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil. Invert cake onto a large platter. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Source: Recipezaar

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo – Homemade Black Pepper Tortillas

May 4, 2011September 4, 20114 Comments

Tortillas are very versatile… They are great with appetizers, main dishes and desserts. They bring back childhood memories because when I was little my Titi (endearment for Tia) used to make them for us as an afternoon snack. I remember feeling especially lucky (and proud) when she made them for my third grade class who had never tasted tortillas. By the way, there were 42 kids in my third grade class. Wow! That was definitely a labor of love….

This week was my first attempt at making tortillas. Inspired by this childhood memory, my sons and I worked together on this article. They really got into rolling the dough. We were very excited when one of the tortillas ended up in the shape of a heart. We took pictures as we went along to share.

We decided to put a dessert twist on tortillas and peppercorns. So, for the feature picture of this article, we took a homemade black pepper tortilla and used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 3 hearts. We then made a little napoleon dessert by layering the tortilla with Nutella and Strawberry Preserves. The flavor combination rocked! You definitely have to try it. For more information on Peppercorns, check out my post in the archives, https://gypsyworldspicecafe.com/2010/09/19/provocative-peppercorns/

Enjoy!

Denise

P.S. Sending Special Birthday Wishes to my sister, Desiree. Love Ya!

Gypsy World Spice Cafe Recipe – Homemade Black Pepper Tortillas

Yields: 12 tortillas

Ingredients:

3 cups Flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

1-2 teaspoons Salt (depending on your taste)

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 tablespoon coarsley ground Black Pepper

3/4 cup Hot Water

3/4 cup Shortening

Instructions

Measure your flour, salt, black pepper and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
Add the shortening to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the shortening until the mixture has consistency of meal (crumbly).

Add hot water to flour mixture. Use a spatula to combine the ingredients into a ball (until the dough does not stick to the sides of your bowl). Note: You may have to add a few tablepoons of flour.
Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let rest for 1 hour.
Divide the ball into 12 smaller balls. Cover with a clean dish towel.

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into to be about 1/8 inch thick.

Place tortilla on a hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on first side. It will start to bubble which is a sign to flip it.
Cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.

*Variation: Instead of black pepper, try your favorite blend of Herbs. We made a variation by swapping out the coarsley ground black pepper with with 2 tablespoons of our “house blend”. You might want to try Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence…

Assembling the Black Pepper Napoleon:

Using a cookie cutter, cut out 3 shapes from a black pepper tortilla. Spread some Nutella and Strawberry Preserves onto the first tortilla. Top with the second tortilla. Repeat. Garnish with whipped cream and mini-chocolate chips.

Embracing In-Law Family Traditions – Polish Easter Bread

April 21, 2011August 4, 20113 Comments

I first met my In-Law family during the Easter holiday (about 15 years ago).

Their Easter food traditions revolve around the love of Kielbasi with sauerkraut (it has to be “white kielbasi”…), Polish Easter Bread and Pound Cake.

After we got married, I started asking for a copy of the recipe so that I could make Polish Easter Bread for my husband. It took a few years to get a copy from my sister-in-law. It was well worth the wait… The first time that I made this (with the help of another sister-in-law), we actually forgot to add the eggs (ha ha). It was still very good.

Over the years, I’ve adapted the recipe and have re-written it so that non-bread makers can easily make it too. Of course, I had to add some spice (Cinnamon was an obvious choice)..

The holidays are definitely a time to embrace cultural traditions. It may be a personal family tradition, an in-law tradition or one that has evolved over time by the blending of the two families (and cultures)….

Enjoy your Easter Holiday!

Denise

Gypsy World Spice Cafe Recipe – Polish Easter Bread

Yields: 3 loaves (or 6 mini-loaves)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

2 cups Milk

2 sticks Butter

6 eggs (3 whole, 3 yolks)

1 cup Raisins

1 cup Golden Raisins

3 packets of Dry Active Yeast (Rapid Rise)

9 cups flour, plus more as needed (I blend 1/2 white flour with 1/2 white-wheat flour)

1 tablespoon Cinnamon, divided

Instructions

Measure your flour into a bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, toss raisins with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of flour; set aside.

Heat sugar, milk, salt and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not bring to a boil. Set aside to cool to 105-110 degrees (about 30 minutes).
Pour this mixture into a large bowl. Add yeast and stir until yeast has dissolved.

Add 2 cups of flour to yeast mixture. Mix until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel.
Put this bowl in the oven* to proof for at least 15 minutes. When you take the bowl out of the oven, you will see that the yeast has started to work. The mixture will be kind of foamy.
Add 4 cups of flour, one cup at a time (mixing well between each cup of flour).
Mix in the raisins, eggs and remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. The dough will be sticky but workable.

Turn the sticky dough mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. You will probably need to add another 2-3 cups of flour (one sprinkle at a time). You do not want the dough to get flakey (very few raisins should fall out). Only add enough flour to get the dough smooth and elastic.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Turn to coat the dough. Place the bowl in the oven* and let rise until double (for about 1-2 hours).

Punch the dough down and divide into 3 equal portions for regular sized loaves (6 equal portion for mini-loaves).
Shape and put into greased loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and clean dish towel. Let rise for 30-60 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. If needed, cover with aluminum foil during the last 5-10 minutes to prevent over-browning.

*Notes:

Oven Proofing Temperature Instructions

If you have an electric oven, heat it at 350 degrees for 1 minute and then shut it off.
If you have a gas oven, the pilot light will have the oven warmed to the appropriate temperature.

Link to WikiHow on Kneading Bread

http://www.wikihow.com/Knead-Dough

Creative Cooking with Cilantro: Day 4 – Coconut Cilantro Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

March 31, 2011September 4, 20119 Comments

This week, I have been posting the recipes from our Cilantro themed Sunday dinner.

Below is the recipe for the dessert from our family meal…

Yes…I found a way to make a dessert using Cilantro and it was amazing.

Even the picky eater in my family loved it. That alone says it all!

I hope that this Cilantro series opens your taste buds and imagination so that you too can come up with some creative ways to cook with Cilantro. It is more than “just for salsa”…

Enjoy!

Gypsy World Spice Cafe Recipe – Coconut Cilantro Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

1 box Pound Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker)
3/4 cup Milk
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
1/4 Cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
Add cake mix, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
Mix on low for 30 seconds.
Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
Fold in coconut and cilantro.
Fill each cupcake liner halfway.
Bake for 20 minutes (or until cake tester comes out clean).
Remove from baking pan and cool on a wire rack.
Frost with Lime Buttercream Frosting (see recipe listed below).
Top with coconut or candies.

Gypsy World Spice Cafe Recipe – Lime Buttercream Frosting

1-3/4 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/4 cup Butter, softened
Zest of 1 Lime, finely chopped
Juice from 1 Lime
1-2 tablespoons Milk (as needed)

In a medium bowl, combine confectioners sugar, butter, milk, lime zest and juice with a mixer.
Beat for 1-2 minutes until very creamy.
Add milk a tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you like.

Cardamom Coffee Cake Cupcakes

March 7, 2011September 28, 20111 Comment

Last week I wanted to make cupcakes for someone special in my life that is going through one of life’s challenges. This special person loves coffee cake and used to make it for our little guy. As a toddler, he would even want to call her…just to ask her to make it for him… Of course, she did… So, we decided to make coffee cake cupcakes for her.

Below is my take on the classic coffee cake. I opted to spice things up with Cardamom. Cardamom pairs well with coffee (and that is what coffee cake is supposed to do).

Enjoy!

Gypsy World Spice Cafe Recipe – Cardamom Coffee Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

1/2 cup Butter, softened

1/2 cup Shortening

2 cups Sugar, divided

4 Eggs, separated

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

1 cup Milk

3 cups Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons Cardamom, divided

1 tablespoon unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the unsweetened cocoa powder.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening until pale and fluffy.
Add egg yolks, 1-1/2 cups of the sugar and vanilla extract.
Mix to combine, scraping down sides as necessary.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until you have soft peaks.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of cardamom.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk. Mixing well with each time.
Fold the beaten egg whites into the butter mixture.
Fill the cupcake pan halfway with the batter.
Sprinkle the batter with of the sugar mixture.
Fill the cupcake pan with remaining batter (until 2/3 full).
Sprinkle the batter with remaining sugar mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Gypsy World Spice Cafe

Exploring Spices From Around the World…

Category: Cinnamon

Creamy Chai Spiced Overnight Oats