Chai Spiced Tea Loaves with Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

I have taken a month long break from the blog, but now I am back. My grandfather passed away a month ago and after that I put all my stuff in storage, moved in with my grandmother to keep her company & pay off the few bills I have. I also found a job in the month I have been away.

Today I am back at the baking! Thanksgiving is in a few days and I decided to bake a couple different things for the occasion.  Today I made Chai Spiced Tea Loaves with Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. A few years ago I actually made the Tea Loaves (minus the chocolate chips) for the first time. They were the best things I made that Christmas from the Smorgasbord of goodies I tried my hand at.

This time I decided to add in some mini chocolate chips to give a sweet little punch to the delectable tea loaves.

Tea Loaves:
1/2 cup water
1 tea bag (black tea)
3 cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Chai Spice Blend
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Vanilla Low-Fat Yogurt
2 sticks Butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
5 large eggs
(I also added in 3/4 cup to 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)
Glaze Topping:
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Powdered Sugar
 
Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease & flour 6 mini loaf pans

Microwave 1/2 cup water for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Steep Tea Bag in Water.

In Medium Bowl Combine Flour, Chai Spice, Baking Powder & Soda, and Salt.

In Small bowl mix yogurt with 1/3 cup of the cooled tea.

In a Large bowl, with mixer on medium, beat butter until creamy (about 1 minute).Gradually beat in both sugars. Beat 2 minutes, until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, beat in eggs 1 at a time until well blended. Beat in a little of the flour mix, alternating with a little of the yogurt mix until both are just combined in the butter mix. (At this point I stirred in the chocolate chips). Spoon batter evenly into the mini loaf pans.

Bake 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Cool loaves 15 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on racks for 2 hours.

Mix the glaze topping items together and drizzle over the top of the loaves (best if done while on the wire cooling racks with wax paper underneath or even with the loaves just sitting on wax paper themselves)

These loaves can be pre-made and then wrapped in parchment paper, put in ziplock bags and frozen until later (probably no more than 6 months though).